Saturday, 19th July, 2014
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has revealed if he had not joined QPR this summer he would have hung up his boots.
Ferdinand was released by Manchester United at the end of last season following the expiry of his contract and quickly fielded a number of offers.
However, the 35-year-old was only tempted by QPR and recently penned a one-year deal with Harry Redknapp's men, who gained promotion to the Premier League last season.
Ferdinand was keen to answer the QPR challenge and feels if the move had not happened, he would have called time on his playing career.
Ferdinand, a BT Sport ambassador, exclusively told the broadcaster: "I had a great time at Manchester United but that page has been turned now and this is a new chapter.
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"I had offers from the Premier League, from abroad, more money etc, but the location and the fact that Harry Redknapp was the person who gave me my debut as a professional footballer, a lot of people will not know that QPR was the first club that picked me up as a boy…this is almost full circle, I started here and hopefully I will finish here.
"I have been away in Brazil around the likes of [Alan] Shearer, [Gary] Lineker, [Clarence] Seedorf, [Alan] Hansen, [Ruud] Gullit and loads of other ex-players, who all said the same thing, 'Play as long as you can'. Keep playing because once you retire there is no way back.
"If this deal hadn't gone through I would have probably retired.
"I could have retired, but that fire is still burning inside."
QPR will start their Premier League campaign by hosting Hull City on 16th August at Loftus Road, when Ferdinand will hope to take his bow.
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