He has been a colossus of the game . He has made 700 professional club appearances and won 81 caps for England , six Premier League titles , the FA Cup and the Champions League . In his pomp , he was the stuff of strikers ' nightmares , driving some of the world 's greatest goalscorers to distraction with lightning-sharp reactions and an instinctive reading of the game . That 's why it 's such a shame that what is likely to be Rio Ferdinand 's farewell year in the English game has fizzled out . Rio Ferdinand pictured in training at Queens Park Rangers last week . The 36-year-old defender started regularly in the first part of the season but has been unable to hold down his spot in the side . Ferdinand started the first seven matches of QPR 's Premier League campaign before being dropped . Ferdinand has enjoyed a fantastic career , winning six Premier League titles , but a fairytale finish is unlikely . Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs lift the European Cup for Manchester United in Moscow back in 2008 . Ferdinand also won 81 caps for England during his glittering career . He would love to be out there , hunting down and hassling opponents , robbing attackers of the ball , winning the aerial duels , playing his part in Queens Park Rangers ' survival mission . Keeping them up would be a fitting curtain call . Instead , Ferdinand 's season has been one spent on the margins - either suspended , benched or out of the squad altogether . Once again , the 36-year-old was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Rangers claimed a potentially crucial point away to Aston Villa on Tuesday night . Ferdinand had picked up a slight knock and was ruled out . He has played just five times since the start of October - not much of a swansong . On Sunday , he posted a Twitter picture of a pile of chicken bones after lunch at his mum 's . He had not been involved in the 4-1 win at West Brom 24 hours earlier and it weirdly seemed to sum up his peripheral role at the moment . By contrast , Ferdinand had started QPR 's first seven games of the campaign , lasting the full 90 minutes in all of them . Harry Redknapp had grand plans and the best of intentions last summer . Having called time on his Manchester United career after 12 trophy-laden seasons , Ferdinand moved to Loftus Road in what Redknapp described as a 'remarkable coup for the club . ' Harry Redknapp described Ferdinand 's signing last summer as a 'remarkable coup ' for the club . But after initial promise , Ferdinand has largely spent the season on the bench . Premier League ( 6 ) : 2002-03 , 2006-07 , 2007-08 , 2008-09 , 2010-11 , 2012-13 . FA Cup ( 1 ) : 2003-04 . Football League Cup ( 2 ) : 2005-06 , 2008-09 . FA Community Shield ( 5 ) : 2003 , 2007 , 2008 , 2011 , 2013 . Champions League ( 1 ) : 2007-08 . FIFA Club World Cup ( 1 ) : 2008 . Even in his mid-thirties , Redknapp believed Ferdinand would bring 'quality , class , experience and know-how ' as QPR returned to the top flight . He envisaged Ferdinand in a sweeper role , the central pivot of a three-man defence in an in-vogue 3-5-2 system . He would bring all that experience to bear , helping Clint Hill and Steven Caulker keep opposition attacks at bay . Unfortunately , it just did n't work . In their first seven Premier League games of the season , QPR won one , drew one and lost five . They leaked 15 goals and the scale of their task in staying in the top division was clear . Ferdinand was demoted to the bench , Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha were introduced and the dye was cast for the season . His suspension for using the word 'sket ' in a tweet did n't help and by the time that was served , Ferdinand was down the pecking order . Ferdinand has shown glimpses of his imperious best for QPR this season . But Ferdinand 's farewell season in English football has not lived up to his expectations . Chris Ramsey has played Ferdinand on three occasions since taking over from Harry Redknapp . Queens Park Rangers find themselves two points from safety after their 3-3 draw at Aston Villa on Tuesday . As you would expect , Ferdinand has conducted himself like a model professional on the training ground , maintaining his fitness in case he was called upon . And there have been such occasions , notably the 2-0 win at Sunderland in February - Chris Ramsey 's second game in charge after replacing Redknapp , that ended QPR 's 11-game losing run on the road . Ferdinand may yet be called upon again in the run-in , with QPR sitting two points shy of safety , but the season so far will have fallen short of his hopes and expectations . That fairytale finale , with Ferdinand leading an heroic resistance to keep Rangers in the Premier League , seems unlikely . There are rumours that clubs in the money-soaked Qatar Stars League are preparing to tempt Ferdinand with one final payday but that remains to be seen . For now , Rio 's farewell has sadly fallen a bit flat . The fixtures remaining for the bottom six in the Barclays Premier League .
Rio Ferdinand missed 3-3 thriller with England through injury . He has featured in just five QPR matches since the start of October . Harry Redknapp initially wanted him to be at centre of a back three . But the plan backfired as Rangers made a poor start in Premier League . Ferdinand has found it difficult to regain his place in farewell year .