Manchester United hero Rio Ferdinand jokingly threatened to walk out of the BBC studio live on television during the 2022 World Cup after being teased about Manchester City's dramatic 2012 Premier League title win that came at United's expense.
Ferdinand's Punditry Role at World Cup 2026
Now 47, Ferdinand has been a prominent voice at this year's World Cup for FOX Sports, covering the tournament as it reaches the semi-final stage. Argentina, who were crowned champions four years ago, will face England in a highly anticipated final-four showdown on Wednesday evening.
Argentina's run to the final in 2022 began in the group stage, where they topped Group C thanks to a 2-0 win against Poland after suffering an initial shock defeat to Saudi Arabia.
The BBC Studio Incident
Following that victory over Poland, Ferdinand was joined in the BBC studio by former City defender Pablo Zabaleta. The match had been a nervy affair for Poland, who were keeping an eye on the concurrent Saudi Arabia vs Mexico game, needing a result there to secure their progression. Zabaleta couldn't resist drawing a comparison to a notorious Premier League final day.
Goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez secured Argentina's place as group winners in Qatar, but left Poland sweating. At the final whistle, Poland were going through on their disciplinary record, as they had the same goal difference as Mexico and both had four points. However, Mexico's match was still ongoing, and a last-minute Saudi Arabia goal meant Poland ultimately finished as runners-up.
Joining Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer post-match, Ferdinand admitted he had been in a similar situation before, where he had to keep an eye on another game. This prompted Zabaleta to jab: "Like 2012?"
The 2012 Title Race Reference
Zabaleta was referring to the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League season, when United thought they had won the title with a 1-0 win against Sunderland, only for noisy neighbours City to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against QPR. Sergio Aguero's last-gasp winner sealed the unlikely deal. Ferdinand was part of the United team that had to witness their rivals' stunning comeback, while Zabaleta played for City at the time.
After the jibe, Ferdinand joked he had had enough of punditry for one night. "Can you get me off air, please?" he said. "He's brought up the City stuff with Aguero's goal. He's out of order, you've got to go now." Lineker couldn't resist one final jab, shouting "Agueroooo" in homage to Martin Tyler's iconic commentary of the dramatic title-winning goal.
Ferdinand's Current Activities
Ferdinand is hosting a World Cup show for FOX Sports this summer and remains active on his eponymous YouTube channel. His country will clash with Zabaleta's when England meet Argentina in Atlanta. A place in the final against Spain or France awaits the victor.
