Rio Ferdinand Presents

England got the job done against Panama, but was it the convincing World Cup performance everyone expected?

Rio Ferdinand is back at his Airbnb in Los Angeles with Joel Beya and Ste Howson to break down England’s latest win, the standout performers and the questions that still remain as the tournament starts to heat up.

There’s huge praise for Jude Bellingham after yet another big-tournament display, with Rio revealing what his former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos told him about playing alongside Jude and the mentality he brought into the dressing room at the Bernabéu.

The lads also discuss Kobbie Mainoo, who is still waiting for his first minutes of the tournament. How will the Manchester United midfielder be feeling, and does Thomas Tuchel have a bigger role planned for him later in the competition?

There’s also a brilliant bit of football trivia from Ste after another active player joins the exclusive club of footballers with over 200 international appearances. Can you work out who the three players are before the lads reveal the answer?

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As the group stage nears its conclusion, Rio looks at the players and teams that have impressed him the most whilst analysing England’s midfield and revealing who initiated the first contact between Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney following the famous “wink” incident and Rooney’s red card in the 2006 World Cup.

Paul Scholes suggestion that Tuchel’s focus on overpowering opposition means the midfield “doesn’t look right” is discussed along with the improvements and changes Rio would make as the tournament progresses. Kobbie Mainoo is spoken about as the type of player that will help England dominate the ball, sustain more attacks and offer a different option for opening up defences.

Following Jose Mourinho’s comments about the “privilege” of managing the egos in the Real Madrid dressing room and the need for harmony after the problems within the camp last season - Rio makes a plea for Aurélien Tchouaméni to join Manchester United if he’s in a position to leave Real Madrid.

And when speaking about how Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde could re-integrate together into the Real Madrid squad (following their well-publicised bust up last season) he is reminded of the fallout from the incident where Cristiano Ronaldo winked after his Manchester United team mate Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 2006 World Cup match against Portugal.

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This is Clarence Seedorf as you've rarely seen him before - thoughtful, uncompromising and still analysing the game with the same intensity that defined his playing career.

Seedorf joins Rio at his Airbnb in Los Angeles and delivers a fascinating assessment of the current World Cup, explaining why England fans are often too tense watching their team, why Jude Bellingham reminds him of an old-school footballer, the one personality trait he'd love to see Declan Rice add to his game and why Elliot Anderson is worth £100m.

He also discusses the Netherlands' chances of winning the tournament, whether Virgil van Dijk belongs amongst the greatest Dutch defenders ever and the reasons why the modern game is producing fewer creative players compared to previous generations.

There's brilliant insight into some of the biggest stars in football too, with Seedorf defending Cristiano Ronaldo's place in Portugal's team, explaining why Kylian Mbappé hasn't yet reached his ceiling and sharing stories about the extraordinary talent of Roberto Baggio and Ronaldo Nazário Fenômeno. He reveals why R9 was capable of things even team-mates never saw in matches, compares different types of elite strikers and explains why football sometimes underestimates players who make those around them better.

The conversation also revisits some pivotal moments from Seedorf's own career, including the phone call that convinced him to turn down Manchester United and sign for Inter Milan instead. He reflects on the values that made Ajax's academy so successful, why character-building was prioritised alongside technical ability and why he believes modern coaching can sometimes limit a young player's freedom to think for themselves.

There's also brilliant insight into the legendary AC Milan dressing room, what made Paolo Maldini the most complete defender he ever saw, the battles that side had with Rio’s Manchester United in the Champions League and why some of football's most important players never receive the recognition they deserve.

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After watching England’s draw with Ghana at a local bar in West Hollywood, Rio is joined by Ste Howson and Joel Beya to look at what England needed to break down an organised defence.

There’s praise for Rio’s former assistant manager at Manchester United, Carlos Queiroz, who led the Ghanaian side and Rio reveals his former team mates were reminded of Queiroz’s coaching sessions during his time at Old Trafford.

And after Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2 goals - Rio also has a bone to pick with both of his co-hosts who seemingly wrote off the prospect of Ronaldo performing and leading Portugal to the latter stages of the tournament.

The trio debate whether it’s time for Thomas Tuchel to start Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford who both made positive impacts off the bench for the second match in a row and Ste details why England’s tactics were frustating to watch.

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Rio is poolside at his Beverly Hills Airbnb with Ste Howson and Joel Beya to discuss a pair of players who have been criticised heavily at the World Cup.

Jeremy Doku has faced huge media pressure after he announced his intention to travel home from the tournament to be with his wife for the birth of his first child - Rio backs his decision and recounts his own experience at the births of his own children as moments where family puts football into perspective.

After failing to score in his opening game - Rio’s former team mate Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised and compared to other forwards who started the tournament in impressive fashion.

Following Joao Neves’ comments on his captain’s role within the team - Rio details how Ronaldo bought into the team mentality in the Manchester United dressing room and shuts down any criticism of Ronaldo’s willingness to work as part of a collective.

Rio also picks his front three of the tournament so far which will surprise some people and Ste asks you to get in touch with the teams, players and moments that have surprised you the most for the next podcast recording and Joel is left in the dark about an escapade booked by Rio and Ste for the trio to experience whilst they're in LA together.

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