Copyright manchestereveningnews
Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently wary of what he says in the Manchester United legends’ group chat now because of ‘ Rio [Ferdinand] the journalist’. Ferdinand and Ronaldo shared the Red Devils dressing room from 2003 to 2009 during arguably the most successful period in the club’s history. Both initially arrived as talented youngsters before transforming into world-class star players. They won three Premier League titles and the Champions League playing alongside each other, and their bond has remained strong even since Ferdinand’s retirement and the Portuguese’s move to Saudi Arabia, having sat down with each other for an interview last year. The pair also remain in close contact through a United WhatsApp group - named ‘Band of Brothers’ - that includes players from the 2008 Champions League-winning era, with ex-defender Patrice Evra calling it 'really active'. However, Ferdinand’s recent success with his YouTube channel and podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents, which includes the ex-England international interviewing top current and former players, has led Ronaldo to joke that he has to be more careful about what he says in front of him. Ferdinand said while laughing in an interview with The Times : “It’s funny because Cristiano [Ronaldo] calls me a journalist now. He messaged me saying, ‘Now I can’t say too much in the United WhatsApp group, Rio’s in there. Rio the journalist!’” Ferdinand recently sat down for bombshell discussions with former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen on the platform. Prior to that, he interviewed past and present United stars like Wayne Rooney , Harry Maguire, Nemanja Vidic and Evra, several of whom are in the aforementioned group chat. The 46-year-old once provided an insight into what the icons speak about, saying they use it to critique the current team and joke around as they did in the dressing room. He even joked that Evra “regularly leaves” because he “gets bullied in there”. Evra himself said: “We are lucky, the United group, we still have a WhatsApp group. Every morning we just laugh with each other. We have still got that. “It is most of the players from 2008 when we won the Champions League. It is really active. Every two minutes. “Rio created it. We just keep connected and have a laugh. It was not just a team, it was like a family.” The likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Edwin van der Sar and Nani are also involved, while former captain Vidic left after growing frustrated with the number of text notifications he was receiving. “Vida [Vidic] came in for ten minutes then left,” Ferdinand said. “How long did you come in for? One day maybe? He didn't like the notifications, the messages coming through - a hundred messages.” “It's a metaphor for the dressing room so you should come back,” Berbatov told Vidic. “Change with time, you need to speak. (Laughing) In a way it's like me progressing and you regressing.” Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
