Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of £10 Pounds OFF + a FREE Gift with code RIOPRESENTS at https://huel.com/riopresents (Minimum £60 purchase) Rio and Joel are joined by former England coach and Premier League winner Joleon Lescott to discuss the reports about Kobbie Maine’s contractual situation, debate how much the midfielder is worth to the club and prospective buyers and analyse the way that Ruben Amorim tweaked his philosophy in the draw against Arsenal plus there’s...
Mar 10, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Yes guys! Welcome to Rio Reacts, delivered by Just Eat and Pepsi Max, where I give you my raw and unfiltered reaction to the biggest talking points from Europe’s biggest stage. Joined by my good mate and the voice of football, Darren Fletcher, we dive deep into the heart of the Champions League. In this episode, we dissect the intense atmosphere of PSG vs. Liverpool, exploring the pressure cooker environment and how it compares to my playing days. Was Liverpool lucky to escape with a result? We ...
Mar 06, 2025•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United legend Andrew Cole joins Rio and Joel to analyse the club’s recent performances and their struggles in front of goal. Cole gives advice to Rasmus Hojlund and 17 year old Chido Obi and praises Bruno’s ability and mentality. There’s special praise for former captain Roy Keane both as a leader and as a player as well as former strike partner Dwight Yorke. Cole admits he doesn’t think his career gets the credit it deserves and discusses the shortage of elite number 9s in the game t...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio and Joel are joined by a Professor of football finance, Kieran Maguire to analyse Manchester United’s financial position after they announced their “financial transformation plan". Maguire discusses the potential ’naivety’ shown by INEOS, the impact of the job losses on the club’s PSR and details the moves made by the hierarchy that have caused the most damage to the club’s finances. The trio also discuss how much the Glazers are hampering Man Utd’s performances with the way the debt from th...
Feb 24, 2025•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Real Madrid’s number one joins Rio to discuss his career and achievements after he accepted a title at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. He reveals how players like Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. and Antony Rudiger integrated themselves into the Madrid squad and what they’re like off the pitch. Courtois reserves special praise for Diego Simeone’s winning culture and obsession and credits the three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid as a huge reason why he has achieved so much. There’s analysis of...
Feb 18, 2025•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a weekend which saw Everton leap above Manchester United, Rio and Joel open the floor to questions from listeners to analyse the club’s position and the reasons for their struggles. There’s questions about how patient supporters should be with manager Ruben Amorim, analysis of specific player’s performances like Rasmus Hojlund, Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho. Rio also addresses the concerns of fans about the direction of the club since INEOS took a 28% stake and control over footba...
Feb 17, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to review the performance in the victory over Leicester for Ruben Amorim’s side at Old Trafford. Rio discusses why players like Sancho, McTominay and Antony feel more ‘freedom’ after leaving the club and suggests a way to relieve pressure on the squad - could the same be true for Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa. New signing Patrick Dorgu’s specialist coach joins the podcast and reveals why the defender’s mentality and fitness are elite and there’s a debate about Roy ...
Feb 10, 2025•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United’s young defender Leny Yoro sits down with Rio Ferdinand to discuss the art of defending, the challenging start he faced at the club and how the arrival of Ruben Amorim has impacted the way he’s adapted to life at Old Trafford. Yoro reveals what it was like finishing at school to go and face Kylian Mbappe, how he deals with the pressure of people suggesting he can reach Virgil Van Dijk’s level and discusses the best and worst fashion amongst his team mates. There’s...
Feb 05, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio is joined by Ste and Joel to discuss the latest defeat for Manchester United to analyse what isn’t working for manager Ruben Amorim. Rio suggests that the Portuguese manager should be more pragmatic in his approach to build the player’s confidence after a run of 8 defeats in his first 19 matches. The trio also discuss Marcus Rashford’s loan move to Aston Villa including the £40m fee believed to be part of the deal along with the reputation and reaction to Rashford’s form and choices made in ...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio gives his verdict on potential signing Patrick Dorgu from Lecce. The 20-year-old from Denmark looks set to join up with United this weekend, if reports are to be believed. With a potential £30m price tag, Rio analyses the strengths of the Dane's game, and how he might fit in to Ruben Amorim's system at Old Trafford. He also discusses Kobbie Mainoo's best position, and if that number ten role unlocks him even further. Rio gives a passionate view on the current state of the Financial Fair Play...
Jan 31, 2025•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United’s number 7 Ella Toone joins Rio to discuss how she dealt with the grief of losing her father whilst still playing football for her childhood club. Toone reveals how the club have helped her, how an injury enabled her to process things more easily and what she went through in the immediate aftermath. On the pitch, Toone has a reputation for being a big-game player and Rio explores her mentality around those meaningful matches and why she is able to consistently deliver on such a...
Jan 28, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio is joined by Jody Morris and Joel Beya for another episode of Rio Presents! In this episode, the boys deep dive on Ruben Amorim’s comments about Marcus Rashford. The Man United manager stated that he would put their 63-year-old goalkeeping coach ahead of any player who’s not 100% committed, on the bench. This comes after a lengthy spell on the sideline for Rashford and with his future still very uncertain. They also break down where United might need to strengthen in the coming days of the t...
Jan 27, 2025•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio and Joel are joined by Arsenal legend and Invincible, Sol Campbell! They react to Ruben Amorim's latest comments in the press, and if this kind of talk could 'lose the dressing room' this season. And is Onana the reliable keeper that Man United need? They also discuss how current defenders compare to the greats of their era, as well as breaking down what's going wrong with Arsenal and their recent slump in form. The trio debate how to defend Erling Haaland, and that Sol could have somehow en...
Jan 20, 2025•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio Ferdinand is joined by Joel Beya to discuss why Manchester United were able to overcome Arsenal after playing for over an hour with ten men. The pair look at the improvement in Bruno Fernandes’ performances and compare his output to Martin Odegaard who is under pressure following injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. Rio discusses the redemption of the defensive pair Harry Maguire and Mathijs De Ligt after criticising them in recent weeks and analysed the specifics of what Amorim could ...
Jan 13, 2025•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio travels to Munich to sit down with Kingsley Coman to see if he knows what links him with Martin Odegaard, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah. It’s not what you might think and once they discuss that in detail, Kingsley reveals the difference between playing with Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane at Bayern Munich, why Pep Guardiola was his “favourite” manager and the reasons why Thomas Tuchel will be great in his first international job in charge of England. Coman also reveals his sadness an...
Jan 09, 2025•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Don’t forget to enter the podcast competition by visiting https://www.rioferdinandpresents.com/... Rio and Joel are joined by Anton for this episode and the two Ferdinand centre-backs are perfectly placed to analyse the performances of Virgil Van Dijk, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt following a pulsating draw between Manchester United and Liverpool. The trio also discuss the potential transfer movement and performance of Trent Alexander Arnold where Rio reveals what it's like to be pursued b...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Rio gives his reaction to Man United's 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United. What does Amorim have to change to get a tune out of these players, and was he right to haul of Joshua Zirkzee after just half an hour? Rio breaks down tactically that the players look lost, and their lack of time on the training pitch is the reason for that. Goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton saw Ruben Amorim's side slip to their fourth successive defeat, leaving them 14th in the league. Ruben Amorim has lost fi...
Dec 31, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast After hosting his podcast Christmas party with Owen Hargreaves, Jody Morris and Joel Beya Rio selects the team of the season so far with the help of his guests. There’s a heated debate about the formation, Jody Morris declares his love for Jurrien Timber and it takes an age for any consensus to be reached on whether Bukayo Saka or Mohamed Salah should play on the right wing. Owen gives a special mention to Brian Mbuemo and the panel analyse the importance and performances of midfielders Cole Pal...
Dec 28, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio hosts his podcast Christmas party with Owen Hargreaves, Jody Morris and Joel Beya to tell everyone what really happens at the equivalent parties when you’re at a Premier League football club. You’ll hear why one Chelsea doo lasted only 8 minutes, what happens when a manager tries to stop them happening and how to cope when two rival club parties converge on the same West London pub. Owen bring a special bottle of 2008 vintage wine and reminisces about the Champions League victory over Chelse...
Dec 23, 2024•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Remember to enter our competition, head to https://www.rioferdinandpresents.com/giveaway and enter your details to win some amazing prizes from the biggest names in football. Rio sits down with Joel to discuss the victory for Manchester United over rivals Manchester City and the omission of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the match day squad for non-footballing related matters. The pair debate how long a club like Manchester United should wait to ‘unlock’ potential from players and R...
Dec 16, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jody Morris joins Rio and Joel in the week that Manchester United announced the departure of Dan Ashworth - the trio discuss the hierarchy’s decision making as well as reviewing Ruben Amorim’s impact following two consecutive defeats. Jody reveals how he and Frank Lampard approached changing the style of the Chelsea time after they arrived and the importance of leaders and communicators in that initial period. They also analyse Cole Palmer’s game, the reasons teams are struggling to contain him ...
Dec 09, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya in the aftermath of Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United. Rio reveals how he would setup a team to successfully defend Arsenal’s set pieces and details the concerns about the attacking talent that new manager Ruben Amorim has at his disposal. There’s a lot of praise for William Saliba and Leny Yoro and analysis of Chelsea’s credentials in the title race along with Enzo Maresca’s comments about Noni Madueke’s training standards. Rio has also spoken to...
Dec 05, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jorginho comes to the pod studio to meet Rio for the first time since the pair had some beef on social media. They discuss those negative comments Rio made in 2019 about the Italian’s game and why they ‘touched’ Jorginho more than any other criticism he took at the time. The Arsenal midfielder reveals why manager Mikel Arteta is “better than he expected”, what part of Bukayo Saka’s game can be improved to ensure he’s considered amongst the world’s elite and talks about his strong connection with...
Dec 02, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio, Joel and Ste are reunited to look back at Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United to discuss whether the players like Marcus Rashford are equipped to deal with the Portuguese’s dramatic tactical shift and identify those players who could benefit most from it. They look at the concerning statistics related to United’s goalscoring which pre-dates even Erik Ten Hag and pick their favoured front three to fit into Amorim’s 3-4-3. Ste then switches attention to the title race foc...
Nov 25, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robert Lewandowski sits down with Rio Ferdinand to discuss his legendary career and share insights into the minds of two of football’s greatest managers: Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. Hear Lewandowski’s honest take on Guardiola’s tactical brilliance and intense preparation, including how he interacted with the players at Bayern Munich. Lewandowski also opens up about Klopp’s unique ability to inspire and motivate players, recalling how one heartfelt conversation at Dortmund changed the traject...
Nov 21, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robbie Keane joins Rio Ferdinand and Joel Beya to tackle a burning question in today’s football: why is there a shortage of elite strikers in the modern game? A member of the Premier League’s 100 club, Keane shares his candid thoughts on what’s changed, compares the current crop of forwards to players from his era such as Zola, van Nistelrooy, Berbatov, Torres, Owen, Fowler, Henry and Bergkamp and discusses why the art of striking might be a dying craft. Robbie also dives into incredible stories...
Nov 18, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rio is reunited with his old team mate Edwin van der Sar who speaks for the first time since suffering a brain haemorrhage. This exclusive interview covers the different perspective that serious event has given him, the Champions League victory in 2008, and Edwin also gives his view on the current Manchester United number one, Andre Onana. The pair look at the impact Erik Ten Hag had at Ajax, why he wasn’t able to succeed at Old Trafford and the strategies and personalities required in order for...
Nov 13, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why MUFC should “100%” keep Ruud | Comparing Rodri and Odegaard to Paul Scholes After taking charge of 4 games, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves discuss why Manchester United should look to keep Ruud van Nistelrooy in some capacity at the club following the arrival of Ruben Amorim. Owen analyses a whole host of Premier League midfielders and has huge praise for both Rodri and Martin Odegaard as well as analysing why Bruno Fernandes has been much more effective since the departure of Erik Ten Ha...
Nov 11, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jody Morris joins Rio and Joel on this episode to look at the priorities for the new Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. After being labelled the Premier League’s ‘worst pressing team’ after drawing 1-1 with Chelsea, Jody breaks down what a coach needs to have in place to create a successful press and details the reasons why United haven’t been able to sustain that style of play for 3 seasons. There’s a shoutout for Nottingham Forest right back Ola Aina and more flak for Joel after Arsenal g...
Nov 04, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Man United have officially announced new manager Rúben Amorim has taken charge at Old Trafford. Rio gives his instant reaction to the news and what it might mean for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. Rio breaks down how Amorim might setup at Man United and what his management style is like. What do you make of Man United's appointment of the Portuguese coach? Is he the man to lead Man United back to the glory years? Or is he just another Erik ten Hag? Remember to like, comment and subscribe i...
Nov 01, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
