Apart from the fact he’s 6ft 3in, 16 plus stone of pure winner, Rio Ferdinand is an intimidating figure when he steps out onto the field of battle.
Locking his unflinching glare onto the opposition’s striker, the Manchester United and England captain, looks ready to devour his adversary with relish.
Few players get in the zone like a man whose won four Premier League titles, two League Cups, one Champions League and the FIFA World Club Cup to boot.
But how does Rio do it? The sound of music – that’s how. No, not the musical, but banging tunes from Tinchy Stryder’s Game Over to the Stone Roses’ Fools Gold.
Watch this video to find out what else Rio is tuning into before a game.
As part of Nike’s The Chance initiative, a global search for young football talent, Rio has been helping to toughen up the four UK finalists ahead of The Chance world finals to be held in London, January 19-22. 100 players from around the world will take part in the finals and eight will be selected to play for the Nike Academy full time from next season.
Rio enlisted the help of James Milner, Ashley Cole and Aaron Lennon to help ‘mentor’ the four UK hopefuls. To follow their progress visitwww.facebook.com/nikefootball
Also see:
Rise above the attack
Micah Richards: My pre-match playlist
Tricky or tall, it’s no problem
Rio: The thinking man's guide to defending
Rio: Handling different types of striker
Rio: Playing the ball out from the back
Rio: Communicating with your team-mates
Rio: When to hit row Z
Music to improve your performance
Ben Foster: My pre-match playlist
