'I could have been a bum' - Anton Ferdinand on emerging from Rio's shadow
St Mirren held Celtic to a goalless draw on Anton Ferdinand's debut for the club
Anton Ferdinand says he "could have been a bum" and forever "lived in the shadow" of elder brother Rio, should he have wanted to.
Ferdinand senior casts a huge shadow. He was, for a time, the world's most expensive defender. He was England's youngest international, amassing 81 caps. He won six Premier League titles and a Champions League crown for Manchester United.
The siblings, six years apart, grew up on a council estate. Both became centre-backs. Anton saw the success and riches Rio attained and lusted for a slice of the action.
"Seeing him do it and what comes with being a professional footballer, I wanted it all for myself," the St Mirren defender told BBC Scotland.
"That's why I worked hard as a kid and still work hard now. I'm still one of the last ones off the training pitch at 33 years old and want to play for as long as possible."
In an interview on Sportsound, Ferdinand talked about comparisons with Rio, taking his foot off the pedal, and life in the Scottish Premiership.
Listen again: Anton Ferdinand on SportsoundKearney eyes striker Jackson for St Mirren'I became 'Anton', not 'Rio's brother''
Ferdinand junior carved out his own career in the professional ranks, playing for a host of Premier League sides including boyhood club West Ham United.
Bearing his surname brought attention as a youngster, but it also brought unfairly lofty expectations.
"People would say, oh that's Rios' brother, let's see what he's got'," Ferdinand recalled. "But if I didn't do something within the first five minutes that likened me to Rio, I was rubbish - because he was the best.
"He gave me advice. He wanted me to be better than him. He knew the pressure I was under. It made him proud that I was able to deliver when I needed to."
The irony is that when Ferdinand finally earned recognition for his own talents rather than his family ties, he started to ease off.
"I should have played for England. I know I should have. I just wasn't consistent enough," he said.
"When I became Anton Ferdinand, not Rio's brother, it was such an achievement because I'd had it since I was nine years old. I felt like I'd done it and I half-relaxed.
"I'd go places and people would say, 'that's Rio's brother, that's Rio's brother'. Then all of a sudden, it was, 'that's Anton'. I was playing very, very well.
"Rio was the best in the world at the time I was coming through. To come out of the shadow of someone who is the best in your position, it is a big thing."
Rio and Anton Ferdinand played against each other in the Premier League'I'm still nowhere near myself'
When Oran Kearney replaced Alan Stubbs as manager of struggling St Mirren, he was on the lookout for an experienced centre-back.
He turned to Ferdinand, who had been released by Southend at the end of last season.
In both the manager and defender's first game, St Mirren held champions Celtic to a goalless draw. But they were hammered 3-0 at Hamilton the following weekend.
"I like the club, everything it stands for, it's a family-orientated club and a club that's going in the right direction," Ferdinand said.
"I didn't have too much of a pre-season due to stuff that was happening with me and Southend and them trying to get me off the wage bill.
"I probably had five or six days of proper training at a decent level - then the Celtic game. I'm still nowhere near myself; that's going to take a few weeks still."
Anton Ferdinand broadcast his appearance on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme on Instagram
Source: bbc.com
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