Rio is joined by Joel Beya and Ste Howson to look at the weekend’s action both on and off the pitch whilst also looking at Michael Carrick’s selection dilemmas ahead of Manchester United v Everton on Monday Night Football. After Declan Rice’s comments about how the dressing room has evolved so that players are more responsible for upholding standards and discipline - Rio looks at how Mikel Arteta’s side responded to being pegged back by Tottenham and why Rice’s on-pitch apology is a good sign. 4...
Feb 23, 2026•44 min
In this episode of Rio Meets, Rio sits down with one of Manchester United’s most resilient figures - Diogo Dalot. From being questioned, scapegoated and loaned out… to wearing the captain’s armband at Old Trafford - Dalot opens up like never before. Enjoy this episode where Manchester United’s second longest serving player takes you behind the scenes of some of the most tumultuous times at the club. He offers a surprising review of Ruben Amorim’s tenure at the club and reveals why he thinks it’s...
Feb 20, 2026•54 min
Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to look back at a weekend which saw Trent Alexander-Arnold be compared to David Beckham, Harry Kane beat Cristiano Ronaldo to a momentus milestone and the dust settled on Thomas Tuchel’s contract extension as England manager. With the title race taking a break for the FA Cup, Ste doesn’t take a break in analysing Arsena’s title credentials catching up with Joel for the first time since Arteta’s side dropped points at Brentford. Rio points out the key role of players...
Feb 16, 2026•30 min
With Joel taking in the Super Bowl, Ashley Williams joins Ste Howson and Rio to provide an outsider’s view of the improvement under Michael Carrick. With 745 Premier League appearances as ball-playing defenders between them, Ash and Rio analyse why Lisandro Martinez is becoming one of the most important players in possession in the way Michael Carrick wants his team to play. Rio addresses Kobbie Mainoo directly after questioning the reasons behind the lack of appearances under previous manager R...
Feb 09, 2026•39 min
Following the third positive weekend in a row for Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager, Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to analyse what’s different about the players and the performance. There’s discussion about the difference between Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton following another impressive performance by the United academy graduate along with the reasons behind the improvement shown by Sesko and why there’s so much love from all his team mates. Bruno Fernandes has been one ...
Feb 02, 2026•1 hr 1 min
Rio comes in HOT after another statement victory for Manchester United, following up a win over Manchester City with victory at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. With a huge improvement in form and positivity around the club since sacking Ruben Amorim, the conversation quickly turns to why Michael Carrick should not be judged through the same lens as Ole Gunnar Solskjær. From Arsenal supporters' growing tension to Arteta’s obsession with control, the lack of freedom for Bukayo Saka and wheth...
Jan 26, 2026•55 min
After Michael Carrick brought the “feel-good” factor back to Old Trafford with a victory over rivals Manchester City - Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to analyse what made such a positive difference. There’s a discussion about whether the comments made by Paul Scholes about Lisandro Martinez were “too personal” and why Roy Keane was so negative about Jonny Evans appointment. Tactically - Ste and Rio analyse why the players were so successful at preventing Pep Guardiola’s side from crea...
Jan 19, 2026•57 min
Asamoah Gyan sits down for a special episode of Rio Presents exploring how he became one of the highest paid players in the world and the pitfalls that come with money and fame in such quantities. Both Gyan and Rio are strident in their belief that AFCON should be treated in the same way as other major continental tournaments (Euros and Copa America) rather than being played during the European domestic football season. Gyan reveals how confidence helped build him into the most recognised face i...
Jan 15, 2026•36 min
Ste Howson and Joel Beya join Rio in the aftermath of a torrid Manchester United performance against Brighton and an amazing El Clasico in Saudi Arabia. There’s analysis of what Rio’s former team mate, Michael Carrick needs to bring to the role after he’s expected to be named interim manager until the end of the season and Rio analyses what Shea Lacey has shown in his limited first team appearances that separates him from his team mates. There’s a call for senior people like Jason Wilcox and Oma...
Jan 12, 2026•53 min
As the dust is slowly settling following the departure of manager Ruben Amorim, Rio and Joel get together to look at the immediate future for everyone involved at Manchester United Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 05, 2026•25 min
Ruben Amorim has been SACKED by Manchester United! Join Rio Ferdinand, Joel Beya and Ste Howson as they react live to this huge breaking Man Utd news Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr 11 min
The boys get back together to analyse Arsenal’s season so far as well as looking ahead to what they could achieve come the end of the campaign. They analyse the biggest strengths of Mikel Arteta's side and pose the question about what the manager’s future looks like should he fail to win the league. Rio and Joel discuss the importance of Declan Rice for both club and country and Rio names him as the second most influential player in both the Premier League and in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad....
Dec 30, 2025•32 min
Whilst everyone else is tucking into the final chocolates and leftover turkey, Rio, Ste and Joel review Manchester United’s season so far. They analyse the biggest weakness of Amorim’s side and specifically praise the duo of Senne Lammens and Matthijs De Ligt. When discussing the priorities for the January transfer window, Rio compares Kobbie Mainoo to Gerard Pique as the England midfielder searches for more game time and how Benjamin Sesko plays an integral role for the team which often goes un...
Dec 29, 2025•29 min
After a busy week for Ruben Amorim following Kobbie Mainoo’s brother protesting about the lack of playing time and/or opportunities to move away from the club and a defeat at Aston Villa, Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to dissect those points and the title race. Rio admits Kobbie is doing himself “a disservice” if he isn’t getting onto the manager asking how he can get into the team and discusses with Ste whether there is a way back for the England midfielder at Old Trafford. Morgan Rogers had tw...
Dec 22, 2025•42 min
Rio heads to Carrington for an unmissable sit-down with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes — his most honest interview yet. For the first time, Bruno lifts the lid on the truth behind his Manchester United loyalty, revealing two genuine chances he had to leave, why he stayed, and how modern players’ loyalty is judged differently compared to legends like Francesco Totti, Ryan Giggs and Paolo Maldini. Bruno also breaks down the big tactical shift in his game this season — how playing deeper...
Dec 18, 2025•50 min
Rio is joined by Joel and Ste after a visit to the Manchester United training ground where he teases the potential release of a Rio Meets episode with one of the players. After spending time with the squad, the manager and the coaching staff, Rio reports on what he saw and how positive the environment was. Ste challenges Rio after he disagreed with Amorim’s comments about younger players struggling and Rio reveals how players respond to pundits who return to their former club after they’ve criti...
Dec 15, 2025•44 min
Rio is back in the studio and joined by Joel Beya and Ste Howson where the trio reflect on Manchester United’s 4-1 victory at Wolves and the latest developments following Mohamed Salah’s outburst about his lack of playing time at Liverpool this season. After it was reported that manager Ruben Amorim left his players alone at half-time, Rio discusses the different tactics that managers use in order to effectively communicate their message and praises Mason Mount as United’s yard-stick for players...
Dec 09, 2025•40 min
After Manchester United became the first team in 8 months to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to analyse that victory along with Arsenal’s draw at 10-man Chelsea. There’s detailed analysis on the personnel utilised in the wing-back roles after Ruben Amorim admitted that two of those players are currently playing “far from their best”. After Bruno Fernandes overtook Paul Scholes on the list of record Premier League assists, Rio admits that nobody cou...
Dec 01, 2025•41 min
After analysing Liverpool’s lat 30 matches, Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to discuss the level of pressure that manager Arne Slot is under. From when they lost to PSG in March, Liverpool have played 30, won 14, lost 13 and drawn 3. Rio (and Ste) believes that the scrutiny the Dutchman is under is significantly less than the pressure placed on Ruben Amorim when he was enduring a similar run of results. They also look at 3 key reasons behind Liverpool’s poor performances including Ibrahim Konate’s...
Nov 24, 2025•33 min
Rio travels to Saudi Arabia for an unmissable Rio Meets with Sadio Mané — a rare, honest and emotional conversation showing a side of the Liverpool legend that fans have never seen before. Mané opens up about his relationship with Mo Salah, how their competitive edge sometimes boiled over, and the truth behind why he almost joined Manchester United before a call from Jürgen Klopp changed everything. From his early life in Senegal to sharing a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, Man...
Nov 20, 2025•53 min
After England blitzed their qualification to the World Cup, Rio analyses how Thomas Tuchel is building his squad and momentum ahead of the tournament. The conundrum around the embarrassment of riches in the number 10 position has been a problem that previous manager Gareth Southgate struggled to solve - so Rio lays out how he would set up the team and reserves special praise for captain Harry Kane. Referencing his time with England as a player, Rio praises Tuchel’s tactical clarity and admits th...
Nov 17, 2025•33 min
Joel Beya and Stephen Howson join Rio to discuss draws for Manchester United and Arsenal and the big match between Manchester City and Liverpool. Before they discuss the game at the Etihad, Rio receives a voice-note from Usain Bolt who raises a few issues about Manchester United’s defending under Ruben Amorim - particularly during the draw at Tottenham. After dissecting those comments from Bolt, Rio reveals who he thinks the most important Man Utd players are right now and analyses the way that ...
Nov 10, 2025•41 min
After Manchester United’s winning run comes to an end, Rio, Joel and Ste discuss all of the positives from the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest including Amad Diallo’s attitude whilst playing in defence, Casemiro’s ability on the ball and how the front three are giving the defence a solid platform to build on. Rio acknowledges how important Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s interview about Amorim being judged only after “three years” could be in terms of facilitating the improved form and performances and why ...
Nov 03, 2025•39 min
Welcome to another episode of Rio Meets where Rio sits down with a former team mate and ends up learning so much more about them, despite sharing a dressing room for years at Manchester United. You’ll see a completely different side to Dimitar Berbatov who discuses the impact his father refusing to say, “I love you” had on him, along with a gang kindapping him when he was aged 18 in Bulgaria. He is refreshingly honest about the toughest moments in his career and details the resilience and streng...
Oct 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Rio sits down with Joel after a third straight victory for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United and pays special attention to the redemption of midfielder Casemiro. He addresses the “highly disrespectful” comments made about the Brazilian by Jamie Carragher and says that Kobbie Mainoo could learn a lot from the way Casemiro has forced his way back into the team - even with his stellar career and trophy cabinet. Scott McTominay is another example of a player who is playing with renewed confidence so ...
Oct 27, 2025•43 min
Ste and Rio get together to bask in the glory of beating rivals Liverpool at Anfield. There’s analysis of specific tactics that Amorim employed to unsettle the Champions’ defence and Rio discusses why Mbuemo and Cunha cause Virgil Van Dijk so many problems. After scoring the winner, there’s special praise for Harry Maguire and also Casemiro for showing resilience and the mentality to regain their place in the team when it could have been easier to leave the club. Rio details the importance of ne...
Oct 20, 2025•48 min
The HMRC of football podcasts, Karel Prince, joins Ste and Joel to come face to face with Rio after several messages back and forth on social media. After creating several viral videos scrutinising anecdotes and stories from players about their careers on various podcasts - Karel wants to bring some more evidence to put to Mr. Ferdinand. It’s the first time that Karel is in the presence of a player he’s made a video about so you’ll learn about the forensic process, the reasons for calling people...
Oct 13, 2025•40 min
Steven Gerrard is the latest guest who sits down with Rio to show a different side of them that’s not been seen before on camera. He picks out two English midfielders that he’d love to go toe-to-toe with and details all of the reasons why the national side weren’t successful during his time as an international footballer. The Liverpool and England legend is honest about what went wrong whilst managing Aston Villa and also analyses some of the recruitment decisions taken by the Liverpool hierarch...
Oct 07, 2025•59 min
After a positive weekend for both Arsenal and Manchester United, Ste Howson and Joel Beya are with Rio to analyse the performances and focus on why Manchester United’s attitude was different when competing against Sunderland. Mason Mount spoke about how they focused on bringing energy so Ste dissects how professional footballers approach games to ensure their mentality and application is sufficient in order to perform. After receiving praise for his recent performances, a listener gets in touch ...
Oct 06, 2025•50 min
Joel is fresh from Arsenal’s last minute victory and sits down with Rio and Ste to hear how they want to see their team play after Manchester United lost to Brentford at the weekend. Both Rio and Ste are asking for changes but the tweaks they ask for are quite different so let us know below what you believe would be the best option for Amorim to try and get more positive results. Rio has a warning for Liverpool’s Ibrahim Konate and analyses the “old-fashioned” battle between Newcastle’s Woltemad...
Sep 29, 2025•43 min
