Former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand has accused Chelsea legend John Terry of having a “fragile ego” during a brief Twitter conversation.
Speaking to Virgil van Dijk on his YouTube show “Between the Lines”, Ferdinand named Liverpool defender Jaap Stam above Terry as one of the top five Premier League central defenders of all time.
Terry has more trophies than Van Dijk and Stam, but Ferdinand, who topped the list, also judged him for both skill and honors.
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Ferdinand, who put himself and his fellow Man Utd teammate Nemanja Vidic, said, “I think I was number one. Seriously. I’m going to be number one right away.”
Man Utd legend put Van Dijk third, but the Dutchman disagreed. He said, “I’ve only won one Premier League!” but Ferdinand added: “Yes, I know, but I think the impact you have on the team is huge and your attributes will put you at the forefront.”
Ferdinand put Terry, who has won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, a Europa League and a Champions League in his playing career, fifth on his list.
On the former Chelsea captain, Ferdinand said: “In terms of his longevity at this club, what they won, the body on the line, a footballer much better than people attribute to him, could play with his foot left and right “.
But after the seemingly innocuous interview, Terry took to Instagram to describe all of his football successes, including the number of times he made an XI World Cup.
Next to a statistics chart, Terry wrote, “Opinions are great, but statistics don’t lie …”
Former Man Utd center-back Ferdinand was unhappy with Terry’s post and sent him a message on Twitter before midnight on Thursday to make clear his feelings.
“The moment one has to start pushing one’s own records and statistics, it’s time to start tackling the fragile ego,” he tweeted.
“You’re lucky they even put you in the top five after the racism case with my brother, so thank you for getting it.”
A fragile ego is getting to number 1 @ rioferdy5 Thanks for putting me in your top 5 🏆👍🏻
– John Terry (@ JohnTerry26) May 26, 2022
Terry was accused in 2011 of calling Anton Ferdinand a “black dog” in a heated London derby between Chelsea and QPR, which was acquitted in court at the time.
Terry responded to Ferdinand’s tweet, saying, “A fragile ego is getting number one. Thank you for putting me in the top five.”