Rio Ferdinand to leave pundit role with TNT Sports
RIO FERDINAND HAS announced he is leaving his role as a pundit with TNT Sports to focus on his business interests.
The former Manchester United and England defender has been part of the broadcaster's punditry team for a decade but will stand down after its coverage of Saturday's Champions League final.
'Since retiring from football, it has been a privilege talking about the game I love for a decade for sports fans watching BT Sport and TNT Sports,' he said in a statement published on his X account.
Advertisement
'I want to acknowledge the tremendous support from the team behind the scenes, whose hard work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.
'As I turn the page to the next chapter, I carry with me countless memories. I am excited about what the future holds, spending more time with my family, focusing on Rio Ferdinand Presents and my other business interests.
'I hope to stay connected with you all in different capacities. Thank you once again for everything!'
Sources close to TNT Sports have told the PA news agency that this is an amicable parting of ways, and that the door is being kept ajar for future opportunities.
Ferdinand first announced he was working as part of the BT Sport team in May 2013, with BT rebranding as TNT Sports in the summer of 2023.
The 46-year-old has become a regular part of the presenting line-up for the broadcaster's European club football coverage but is now set to spend more time working on his personal content channels.
His Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel currently has 1.32 million subscribers.
Ferdinand will sign off as part of TNT's presentation team for the Champions League final between Paris St Germain and Inter Milan in Munich on Saturday.
Earlier this month Ferdinand was forced to miss a number of matches after being hospitalised by what he later described on his YouTube channel as a 'mad virus', admitting at one point he thought it was 'lights out' for him.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea ‘want to wrap up deal for Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens before Club World Cup' with Sancho future in doubt
CHELSEA are in talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jamie Gittens and want a deal done before the Club World Cup, transfer reports say. The Blues are in the market for forwards and are set to welcome striker Liam Delap Advertisement 1 Chelsea are in talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jamie Gittens Credit: Alamy But a winger is also on their wishlist with Dortmund's Gittens a top priority and both clubs are now in negotiations, according to the It comes amid Chelsea have an obligation to buy him for £25m or pay a £5m penalty to get out of the deal. Advertisement READ MORE ON CHELSEA Sancho finished the season five goals in 42 games but his wages - believed to be around £350,000-a-week - prove a stumbling block for any suitor. Gittens - He had spells with Reading and City's academy before moving to Germany and progressing into Dortmund's first-team. Gittens joins the likes of Sancho and Jude Bellingham to have made their name in the Bundesliga. Advertisement Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS He helped Dortmund get to the Champions League final in 2024 - losing to Bellingham's Real Madrid. Earlier this season Gittens became the youngest English player to score in the Champion League – aged 20 and 75 days – Chelsea finally discover Club World Cup opponents as former star, 38, assists dramatic winner to set up reunion Gittens has played for England at youth level - not yet making a senior appearance - but will not play in this summer's Under-21 Euros. Advertisement That is because he is set to travel with Dortmund for the Club World Cup in America - joining But the Blues are said to want the winger signed by the time they set off for the States. Chelsea are also linked with United's Alejandro Garnacho, who is The West Londoners held talks for the Argentine last January and have also been tracking Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams. Advertisement Chelsea are also looking to clear out players this summer with Noni Madueke - who scored 11 last season - also believed to be on the market. Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix - who spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan - are other attackers up for sale. Goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic could also be sold if the right bid comes in. Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi are all due back from their respective loans but remain of favour in defence. Advertisement Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu are midfielders with uncertain futures. And Raheem Sterling, who has two years left on his £325,000-a-week contract - has no future at Chelsea after a disappointing Arsenal loan spell.
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Fans poke fun at ‘best team in Europe' Arsenal as they are 12th in Uefa's rankings behind MAN UTD
FANS are laughing at Arsenal after the Uefa rankings put them behind Manchester United. The Gunners fell narrowly short of silverware for the third season in a row as the Red Devils had their worst campaign in modern history. 3 Arsenal sit 12th in Uefa's coefficient league table Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Despite a poor season, Man Utd remain ahead of them Credit: Getty After crashing out the Champions League to eventual winners PSG, Mikel Arteta claimed his team are the " But the coefficient league table disagrees and even has The rankings take into account each side's performance in the Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues over the last five years and it is used for seeding. Arsenal sit 12th overall with 98 points and READ MORE IN FOOTBALL The North Londoners' run to the Champions League semi-final this season earned them 36 points. But their score has been hindered by not appearing on the continent in 2020/21 and losing in the Europa League last-16 to Sporting Lisbon the following year. While Man Utd's performances across the five-year period have been more steady, featuring in every season. Despite victories in the Europa being less valuable than the Champions League, two runner-up finishes and a run to quarter-final is enough to prop them up just above Arsenal. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 3 And fans have mocked the Gunners, with one saying: "As if the best team in Europe isn't even ranked top ten." Another laughed: " Jamie Carragher in huge row with Gary Neville over Arsenal title prediction and striker claim A third commented: "This can't be right, the best club in the world Arsenal are not there. They have been telling me all year they are the best the world has ever seen. Forget the trophies." The updated rankings have Real Madrid out on top on 143.5, narrowly ahead of Chelsea got 30 from their Conference League glory and they can still count upon the 33 from Champions League success under Thomas Tuchel four years ago. Outside the top spots - Tottenham are 27th, West Ham sit 29th and Aston Villa place 46th. Join SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from The Emirates
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Inside Caoimhin Kelleher's personal life as Cork man set for £18m move
Liverpool FC have agreed to a £18m (€21m) deal with Brentford to sell their Irish goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher. The 26-year-old has played for Liverpool's Senior team since 2019 having trained with their academy prior to that. The Cork man had interest from West Ham FC, Leeds as well as Bournemouth but looks set to replace Mark Flekken who leaves Brentford for Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool FC have agreed to a £18m (€21m) deal with Brentford to sell their Irish goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher. Pic: Chris Foxwell/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock As Kelleher makes his move, take a look at his career history, love life and family life — including his fellow soccer playing brother. Caoimhin was born and raised in Blackrock, Cork and attended Presentation Brothers College. The 26-year-old is the youngest of five boys with his brother Fiacre, 29, currently playing for EFL League Two club Colchester United. Their three older brothers played hurling, as did Fiachra. Macclesfield Town manager Mark Kennedy talks to Fiacre Kelleher during the pre match warm up prior to the Sky Bet League Two match between Macclesfield Town and Northampton Town in 2020. Pic:Caoimhin Kelleher has been in a relationship with accomplished Irish dancer, Eimear Murphy, for a number of years. The pair have been together since they were teenagers, with Eimear even teaching the goalkeeper some Irish dancing. 'My girlfriend is skilled in Irish dancing, so I've been trying to garner up some moves too,' he told Liverpool Echo last year. 'I used to do it at school back home, so I've been trying to pick it up because I want to learn it again.' Caoimhin Kelleher has been in a relationship with Irish dancer Eimear Murphy since they were teenagers. Pic: Facebook The Cork native joined Liverpool's academy from Ringmahon Rangers in summer 2015 and was re-signed in August 2018. Kelleher became the 12th Irish footballer to win a Champions League in 2019 when the team won against Tottenham Hotspur. Kelleher was on the bench for the game but made his competitive debut for Liverpool shortly after in September 2019. In 2020, Kelleher started a number of times for Liverpool, with the then 22-year-old becoming the third-youngest goalkeeper for the club to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League. Kelleher has caps for his country at U17, U19 and U21 level, first playing for Ireland in the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 championships. He was first named on the senior squad in November 2018 and played his first game in June 2021, when he came on as a half-time substitute. To date, Caoimhin has made 22 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team.
