Anton Ferdinand facts for kids
.jpg)
Ferdinand playing for Sunderland in 2011
|
|||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anton Julian Ferdinand | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 February 1985 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Peckham, England | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1994–2003 | West Ham United | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | West Ham United | 138 | (5) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Sunderland | 85 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Queens Park Rangers | 44 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2013 | → Bursaspor (loan) | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Antalyaspor | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Police United | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Reading | 21 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Southend United | 65 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | St Mirren | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 381 | (7) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | England U18 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2005 | England U20 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | England U21 | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Anton Julian Ferdinand (born 18 February 1985) is a former English footballer. He played as a centre back, which is a defensive position. Anton came through the youth system at West Ham United. He also played for other teams like Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland, and Reading. He represented England at the under-21 level. Ferdinand stopped playing professional football in July 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Anton Ferdinand was born in Peckham, Greater London. His mother is from Ireland and his father is from Saint Lucia. Anton comes from a family of famous footballers. His older brother, Rio, played for West Ham United and Manchester United. Rio was also a captain for the England national football team. Anton's cousin, Les, was also a well-known England international player.
Anton showed great football talent from a young age. Like his brother Rio, he enjoyed playing in defence. His skills as a defender led him to join West Ham United's special football academy.
Anton's Club Football Journey
Playing for West Ham United
Ferdinand joined West Ham when he was nine years old. He signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2002. He made his debut for the senior team in August 2003. This was in a 2–1 win against Preston North End. He played in 26 games during that first season.
In the 2004–05 season, Anton became a regular player. He scored his first goal for West Ham in a match against Watford. West Ham won that game 2–1. This win helped them get into the play-offs. They then won the play-off final against Preston 1–0. This victory meant West Ham was promoted back to the Premier League. In July 2005, Ferdinand signed a new contract with the club.
In January 2006, Anton won the Premier League Player of the Month award. This was special because his brother Rio had also won it before. They were the first brothers to both receive this award. In the 2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, Anton missed a penalty kick in the shootout. West Ham lost the game. His last goal for West Ham was in January 2008 against Fulham.
Moving to Sunderland
On 27 August 2008, Ferdinand joined Sunderland. He signed a four-year contract. Sunderland's manager, Roy Keane, believed Anton could become an England international player. Anton started well at Sunderland, playing alongside Danny Collins. However, he sometimes moved in and out of the team.
Later, under a new manager, Steve Bruce, Anton found it harder to get into the first team. For the 2010–11 season, he was given a new squad number.
Time at Queens Park Rangers
On 31 August 2011, Ferdinand moved to Queens Park Rangers (QPR). He made his first appearance for QPR on 12 September. He played the whole game in a 0–0 draw against Newcastle United.
Anton left Queens Park Rangers on 9 August 2013. This happened as the club was trying to reduce its costs after being relegated.
Loan to Bursaspor
In January 2013, Anton joined the Turkish club Bursaspor on loan. He played seven games for them. He helped Bursaspor finish fourth in the league. This meant they qualified for the Europa League.
Playing for Antalyaspor
On 14 August 2013, Ferdinand signed a three-year contract with another Turkish team, Antalyaspor. He left the club at the end of the 2013–14 season.
Brief Spell at Police United
In the summer of 2014, there were talks about Ferdinand joining Police United in Thailand. He went to Bangkok to sign for them on 18 June 2014. However, the move did not go through.
Joining Reading
On 11 August 2014, Ferdinand signed a two-year deal with Reading. He joined them for free. Anton made his debut for Reading on 4 November 2014. He had been recovering from a leg injury. Reading announced on 9 May 2016 that Anton would leave the club when his contract ended in June 2016.
Southend United Years
On 27 August 2016, Ferdinand signed a one-year deal with Southend United. He signed a new two-year contract with them on 9 August 2017. At the end of the 2017–18 season, the club decided he could look for a new team. He left Southend United on 31 August 2018.
Final Club: St Mirren
On 14 September 2018, Anton joined Scottish Premiership side St Mirren. In January 2019, he extended his contract with St Mirren until the end of the season. In May 2019, Ferdinand confirmed he was leaving the club. He officially retired from professional football in July 2019.
Playing for England's Youth Teams
Anton Ferdinand was a regular player for England's under-21 team. He made his first appearance for them on 17 August 2004. This was in a 3–1 win against Ukraine.
He was part of the England squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in the Netherlands. He played one game in the semi-final against the host team, the Netherlands. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. In the penalty shootout, Anton missed his kick, and England lost. This was his last game for the England U21 team.
Anton could also have played for the Republic of Ireland because of his mother. He could also have played for Saint Lucia because of his father.
Life Outside Football
Since retiring from football, Anton Ferdinand has worked as a football expert on talkSPORT radio. In 2025, he was a contestant on the TV show Dancing on Ice. He finished in third place.
Family Life
Anton Ferdinand is a Christian. He is the brother of Rio Ferdinand, who was a famous defender for Manchester United. He is also the cousin of Les Ferdinand, a former Queens Park Rangers player, and Kane Ferdinand, who plays for Maidenhead United.
Important Incident: Racial Abuse Allegation
In November 2011, an incident happened during a match between QPR and Chelsea. Anton Ferdinand alleged that Chelsea captain, John Terry, used racist language towards him. The police investigated the claims.
In July 2012, a court found John Terry not guilty of a criminal charge related to the incident. However, the Football Association (FA) later conducted its own hearing. In September 2012, the FA found John Terry guilty of using abusive and insulting words that included a reference to Anton Ferdinand's race. As a result, Terry was banned for four games and fined £220,000.
In November 2020, the BBC broadcast a programme called Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me. This programme explored racism in football and the incident with John Terry.
Charity Work
Anton Ferdinand is an Athlete Ambassador for the charity Right To Play. This charity uses the power of play to educate and empower children facing hardship.
Images for kids
-
Ferdinand playing for Sunderland in 2011
-
Anton with his brother Rio in a special match for Tony Carr.
-
Ferdinand playing for Antalyaspor in 2013.
-
Anton Ferdinand signing autographs.
See also
In Spanish: Anton Ferdinand para niños
