Even though he is British, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand grew up familiarizing himself with the Nigerian culture.
Ferdinand has visited Nigeria thrice and his excitement when he was in the country for the their time in January 2020 was evident.
In a video shared on Twitter, he said:
“The last time I came to Lagos, it was such a vibrant city, man.
Lagos, there is so much going on, there is so much going on, there are so many people and most importantly everyone loves football.”
Before his visit to the country, Ferdinand had been exposed to the Nigerian culture while growing up in Peckham, London.
“I grew up with a lot of Nigerian friends in Peckham so I knew a lot about the culture before I visited. The food, the attitude, I love it”, he said.
Nigeriaaaaaaaa See You Thursday Evening… big weekend ahead!
Looking forward to coming back
???????? ???????? ✈️ #Nigeria #RioReturns pic.twitter.com/tbuMxl74Or— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) January 28, 2020
The retired England player also revealed his for the music, particularly Afrobeats and his favorite delicacy in the country, Jollof rice.
“Nigerian music is very popular in the UK now and I love it. I listen to a lot of Nigerian artists.”
On the nation’s football, Ferdinand said:
“I loved the 94 World Cup team but individually Austin Jay Jay Okocha is my favorite Nigerian footballer.
Obviously from his Bolton days, he came to England and was very good for like two years.
I have respect for Nigerian players like Sunday Oliseh, Rashidi Yekini, Kanu Nwankwo.“
