Against Quote by Diego Forlan

Rio Ferdinand is the hardest opponent I have faced - strong and quick. He didn't kick you. He was so classy. I could do…

— Robinho

The player I look up to is Rio Ferdinand. I have always played at the back, and I've always tried to base my game…

— Jack Rodwell

When I played for Stuttgart, I met Manchester United and Chelsea. With United, I immediately think of the duels with Ryan Giggs and Paul…

— Philipp Lahm

I had some very good players and some wonderful young players hitting the scene. Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Michael Owen - we…

— Glenn Hoddle

It's brilliant to be compared with such a player as Rio Ferdinand.

— Jack Rodwell

During my time playing for England we had Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes. They were world-class players…

— Jermaine Jenas

For me, the best defender I played against was Carles Puyol. He was my teammate, too, but my rival many times. Also, Roberto Ayala,…

— David Villa

I used to play central defence for Sheffield United. I had Chris Morgan at the side of me, which helped me a lot because,…

— Kyle Walker

I used to track back from midfield but I never saw myself as a defender. Dave Jones thought I could do the job and…

— Wayne Bridge

The toughest defenders I've faced are Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Ivan Cordoba, Ciro Ferrara and Walter Samuel.

— Filippo Inzaghi

I moved to Manchester United when I was a 17-year-old kid. Nemanja Vidic was five years older than me and Rio Ferdinand nearly nine…

— Gerard Pique

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard - those guys were very, very good; they're quality pros.

— Jozy Altidore