Rio Ferdinand will return to Nigeria for the second time this summer when the Reds play Portsmouth at the Abuja Stadium on 28 July.
At a recent press conference announcing the match, David Gill revealed there are more than 14million United fans in Nigeria. Portsmouth’s status in the country is also growing, thanks to the success of homegrown striker Nwankwo Kanu.
While most United players spent the summer relaxing, centre-back Ferdinand had other plans.
Two weeks after lifting the Champions League trophy in Moscow, Rio flew to Nigeria on a charitable mission aiming to help promote education through football, and also revealed plans to build a new soccer academy in the country.
Travelling as a guest of the state governor of Lagos, Babatunde Raji Fashola, his first engagement was launching the Lagos Street Soccer Championships, an initiative that aims to empower young children through sport, while also helping unearth Nigerian footballing prodigies.
“There are huge talents here that can be as big as Yakubu or Kanu,” Rio confirmed.
“They just need someone to inspire them and make them believe in themselves. With what I’ve seen, I can help build an academy here that will see the best of Nigerian talent realise their dreams of being a professional footballer. The power of football here is unbelievable.”
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