Rio Ferdinand

Rio Gavin Ferdinand, aka Ferdz, is a retired English football player and a sports pundit for TNT Sports. Widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of Manchester United English and the Premier League, Rio has amassed millions of dollars both on and off the pitch. This includes his lucrative football contracts with Man UTD, endorsement deals with Nike and Aston Martin, and business ventures, especially investments in tech-based start-ups.

Let’s explore how this English football icon earns, spends, and invests his millions.

What Is Rio Ferdinand’s Net Worth?

As of 2024, the former Manchester United player has a net worth of $75 million.

Ferdz conjured millions of dollars to his wealth mostly through his football contracts. At the peak of his career back in 2008, Ferdinand’s weekly salary went up to $225,000 which was a big deal around that time period. Despite retiring from the sport, the former Man U star currently earns around an estimated amount of $25,000 to $400.2K from his YouTube channel alone on an annual basis. 

Rio retired from football back in 2015, but his previous work as a pundit secured a three-year contract with BT Sport (now TNT Sport) for an undisclosed amount. Besides that, Ferdinand also had lucrative contracts with brands like Nike, Aston Martin, etc. that contributed to his wealth. He has also marched his way into different business ventures and established multiple companies like FIVE (including a digital magazine, a YouTube channel, and a clothing line), a restaurant, etc which is behind his salary of $9.18 million per year.

What Is Rio Ferdinand’s Claim To Fame?

The Premier League Hall Of Famer established himself as one of the best English defenders in the world during his time at Manchester United. Besides that, his role in winning 6 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups, 1 Europa Cup, and more made his resume undeniable in the Europa scene. 

• Joining Leeds United: Ferdinand first caught the attention of the football community and critics after he got signed to the Premier League club - Leeds United back in 2000 for a $27.23 million transfer contract. This not only broke the British transfer record for the time, he also became the world's most expensive defender. He ended up being an integral part of the team during his two seasons there.
• Joining Manchester United: Ferdz’s glory days started back in 2002 when he joined Manchester United for $44.93 million. For the second time in his career, he became the most expensive British footballer and the most expensive defender in the world, at the time. The cherry on top event was his winning the Premier League title in his first season under renowned coach Alex Ferguson, stamping his resume as the best English defender in the world at that time. Rio played alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo and won 6 Premier League titles and 1 UCL trophy during his 12-year-long stint at the club, 
• Film Career: Ferdinand not only kept himself bound in the sport of football but also financed and tried the role of an executive producer in the 2009 film “Dead Man Running” directed by Alex de Rakoff. The film featured Danny Dyer, 50 Cent, Phill Davis, and many more. Despite its $5 million budget, the movie only grossed $735,875 worldwide. 
• Boxing Career: After his retirement from the football scene in 2015, Ferdinand shocked the media world with an unexpected career move. In 2017, the former English defender announced his wish to become a professional boxer. Despite training hard, Ferdinand was denied a professional boxing license by the British Boxing Board of Control, leading him to hang his boxing gloves and dreams.  
• Premier League Hall of Fame Inductee: Rio Ferdinand joined his former Man Utd teammates, David Beckham (2021) and Wayne Rooney (2022) in the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023.

What Businesses Does Rio Ferdinand Own Or Have Invested In?

Outside of the football field, Ferdz made several calculated decisions and ventured into different business ventures that made him millions. Let’s take a closer look at his business empire and the investments he was or is involved in.

• White Chalk Music Label: Early in his football career, Ferdz made moves in the music industry establishing the White Chalk Music label back in 2005 with his close friend. Currently, the label features only two artists - Melody Johnston and Nia Jai, and as for other financial data on the company has not been made public yet.   
• Rosso Restaurant and Bar: One of Ferdz’s biggest successes was his restaurant business which he started back in 2009 in Manchester City. Rosso Restaurant and Bar was an attraction point and a fine Italian dining point that frequently hosted A-lister celebrities like Harry Styles, Erling Haaland, Liam Tomlinson, Tommy Fury, etc. However, Rio was forced to shut the restaurant down in 2023 after running it successfully for 14 years due to difficulties in renewing the lease agreement. 
• FIVE: Founded in 2009 by Rio Ferdinand, FIVE is a community and a destination for hardcore football fans and regular spectators that brings a detailed and closer look at each game. This setup also includes FIVE Magazine, a YouTube channel named “Rio Ferdinand Presents”, and a clothing line “Five Leisurewear Collection”. At its best Rio’s YouTube channel’s ad revenue could generate up to $125,000 a year thanks to its 1.16 million subscribers. 
  Investment
• Sokin: Founded in 2019, Sokin is a UK-based payment Fintech company that was initially backed up by Ferdinand in its early days through an undisclosed investment amount. The company processes over $2.5 billion in annual transactions and aims to raise its worth to $126.47 billion in just five years. Recently, Morgan Stanley’s Expansion Capital bought a hefty stake in the start-up with a $31 million investment.
• Yonder: A fintech credit card and rewards platform founded in 2022, Yonder was initially backed up financially by retired English football player Rio Ferdinand as its angel investor. The start-up showed great promise and raised a total of 62.5 million British pounds in equity and debt since its launch, including a Series A round in April 2023. Currently, the company is valued at over $131 million and is on its way to serious business.
• DeliveryApp: Ferdz’s investment mania keeps getting better and better with his involvement with the UK-based tech firm DeliveryApp which is also backed up by Stockport County owner Mark Stott. Although the Premier League Hall Of Famer hasn’t disclosed any details of his investment, he did express his vision on DeliveryApp and the partnership. He said, “This is a long-term investment of about five to seven years to see a really big uplift and spike in the scale of the business”. In 2023, the company’s credit and reward card raised £62.5 million with Ferdinand's backing.
• WeAre8: WeAre8 is a hate-free social media interface that Ferdinand is currently under in a business partnership along with the investor role (undisclosed amount). Back in 2022, the start-up raised €13.5 million in Series B funding from Channel 4 Ventures and Centerstone Capital and was estimated to have been worth between $59–89 million in the same time period. 

What Brands Does Rio Ferdinand Endorse?

Besides his role as an angel investor for promising start-up companies, the 6-time Premier League title winner also did a few endorsement deals with renowned brands that contributed to his $75 million fortune. 

• Nike: Back in 2003, Ferdinand signed a three-year deal with shoe brand Nike which was worth around $479,000. Despite facing backlash after failing a random drug test in late 2003, Nike backed up its endorser and even featured him in its commercial. Even though it wasn’t officially confirmed, Ferdinand continued to be a part of the brand later in his career, appearing in a few ads like “Show Your Five” in 2009 and “The Chance” in 2012. 
• Aston Martin: One of Rio’s biggest involvement was back in November 2017, when he joined hands with the Aston Martin squad. Since then, Ferdinand has been the brand ambassador for Aston Martin and even attended the launch of the DBS Superleggera at the Stratstone Aston Martin Mayfair dealership in London. 

How Rio Ferdinand Spends His Millions?

Ferdinand is not big on spending but a $75 million fortune does come with the perks of a luxurious and comfortable life filled with exotic vehicles and high-end real estate. However, he mostly spends his money on business and investments.

How Many Houses Does Rio Ferdinand Own?

Currently, there is only one property to his name where Ferdinand and his family of six including his wife and second son Tate and daughter Tia, and Shae’s son Cree. He was also devastated as his elder son Lorez moved out with another family to pursue his dreams. 

• Bromley Mansion: Ferdinand and his family got settled in a $4 million mansion in Bromley, Greater London after his marriage with Shae back in 2019. Boasting a large gym, outdoor swimming pool, and enormous dressing room, the money spent on the property is perfectly justified.  

How Many Cars Does Rio Ferdinand Have in His Collection?

Being spoiled over luxury rides is a rare scene for the retired Manchester United defender but it's easy when you have the financial backup to make up for it. Moreover, being the Aston Martin ambassador makes Ferdz’s passion for cars much more realistic. 

• Aston Martin DB11 V8: Rio Ferdinand’s car collection is mostly filled with Aston Martin models and some of them have a price tag of over $215K just like his white DB11 V8 Coupe. He once posted a picture of him standing beside his DB11 V8 on “X” wearing sports fit and sunglasses.   
• Aston Martin DBS Superleggera: The next one on the list is a 2019 DBS Superleggera that he showed off back in June of the same year on Father’s Day. He was seen driving the car around the south London streets flexing his swag along the way. 
• Aston Martin Vanquish: Another Aston Martin supercar in Ferdinand’s car collection is a dark gray Vanquish. He posted the picture of his car on his “X” account wearing a black outfit and appreciating the beauty of the ride.  
• Aston Martin DB11 Volante: The Aston Martin brand ambassador didn’t sleep on any chance of acquiring some of the very best models including a black DB11 Volante. Back in 2018, Rio posted a small shoutout video on his “X” page stating, “Sun is shining... the kids are buzzing to be picked up in this today... the new  @astonmartinlagonda DB11 Volante”  

Besides these, the TNT Sports pundit also owns a Bentley Continental GT and a Porsche Cayenne which shows his luscious spending habits on luxury cars. Click here for detailed information on Rio Ferdinand’s car collection. 

What Are Rio Ferdinand’s Charitable Contributions?

A big believer in giving back to the community, Rio has used his immense platform to help those who are in need mostly to youth and children’s charities. Let’s take a look at Ferdinand’s contribution to society. 

• Rio Ferdinand Foundation: The Rio Ferdinand Foundation is a non-profit organization founded back in 2011 with the goal of creating opportunities for young people and communities to achieve their personal potential and social mobility. To date, the foundation has helped over 10,000 young people tackle the inequality they face in society. 
• BGC Partners Charity Event: Over the years, Rio has been actively involved in annual charity events of BGC Partners and raised money for women's health during the economic crisis.  
• GoodGood Giving: Ferdinand and his foundation have joined hands with GoodGood Giving, which has raised £211,794 for various charities through prizes.
• Cash for Kids: Back in 2016, Rio announced that he would be donating £500,000 worth of toys to the official charity of Manchester radio station Key 103 - Cash for Kids. His profits from the “Rosso Restaurant” directly went to the cause helping 60,000 children in the process. He also stated, “We're not looking for a thank you, we're just trying to help people out.”

What’s Next For Rio Ferdinand?

Rio doesn’t have anything big at the moment that he disclosed for his future. He is focused on his job as a TNT Sports pundit while carrying on his YouTube channel “Rio Ferdinand Presents”. 

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