Fabio Capello stripped J
ohn Terry of the England captaincy to preserve th
e unity of the dressing roo
m ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.
Rewind to 2005 and it would have been almost unthinkable to consider Ferdinand as a future England captain. Having been convicted of drink-driving in 1997, he was receiving a third ban for speeding and being bluntly reminded by magistrate Ashley Howells about his responsibilities as a role model.
The previous year he had even been forced to miss the European Championship following an eight-month suspension from football for his missed drugs test.
The perception then was of a rare talent being undermined by moments of extreme stupidity. The subsequent influence at Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson has been unmistakable. Ferdinand is now 31 and his vast on-field potential has been emphatically fulfilled.
Only last season Ferguson described Ferdinand as the world’s best defender and his elevation to the England captaincy follows his talismanic role in United’s run of three consecutive Premier League titles.
There was much conjecture about Wayne Rooney, but Capello never regarded theball/. striker as a serious option. Capello looks at Rooney and does see a natural leader but also a 24 year-old who needs space to develop. It was less than a year ago, after all, that Capello was calling Rooney a “crazy man” for angrily punching the corner flag when he was sent off against Fulham.
For Capello’s logical mind, the issue of Terry’s successor did not require much thought. Ferdinand had been his vice-captain and Steven Gerrard his third choice.
He has been happy with the contributions of both players so, following Terry’s demotion, they were simply shuffled up the list. In any case, there has long been a suspicion thatactually regarded Ferdinand as the most impressive of candidates during the captaincy auditions in 2008.
When Capello did eventually opt for Terry, his decision was influenced by the fact that the Chelsea captain had been the man in possession. Ferdinand also did not help his case with an untimely show of petulance after Manchester United were beaten in the so-called 'Battle of the Bridge’ in 2008.
Since then, however, he has been a model influence around the England camp. Like Terry, he is a personality with the self-confidence to speak his mind and would have further impressed Capello when he memorably denounced the celebrity 'Wag culture’.
As for his past, Capello has made it clear that, for him, any controversies have been consigned to history.
So what sort of leader will Ferdinand now make?
A repeat of Rio’s World Cup Wind-Ups — a series of television pranks on his England team-mates before the 2006 World Cup — can certainly be discounted under the Capello regime.
There will also be no question of him being overawed by the spotlight. From the age of 11, when he was nicknamed 'Pele’ by youth coaches at West Ham, Ferdinand has had to deal with considerable expectation.
Harry Redknapp, the former West Ham manager, was always convinced that Ferdinand would one day become the best defender in Europe and his moves to Leeds United and then Manchester United for combined transfer fees of £51 million underline his stature in the game.
The big question mark now, of course, relates to his recent injuries. With concern that the problems all stem from his back, Ferdinand has completed only six of United’s 24 league games this season. He did, however, return to play twice in four days as United swept aside Burnley and Manchester City.
It was enough to convince Capello that there was no reason to veer from his original belief that Ferdinand was still the natural understudy to Terry.
It will take a big personality to balance the inevitable friction and emotion in the dressing room when England do congregate for the friendly next month against Egypt but, in Ferdinand, Capello certainly has a leader who knows how to prevail from personal adversity.
