Former English international footballer and current commentator Rio Ferdinand has spoken to Arsenal fans on a Ryanair flight to Porto. The 45-year old made his way to Portugal yesterday in order to participate in TNT Sport’s coverage of Arsenal’s game against FC Porto in the Champions League that will take place at 8 pm tonight.
He shared the flight with many Arsenal fans, who started to tease him because of some recent comments he made about Arsenal player and fan-favourite Bukayo Saka. On his podcast, Vibe with Five, Ferdinand has recently said that the 22-year old right winger “has been unreal”. “I actually think he needs a bit of a rest, so many games for a young kid. Saka’s top, don’t get me wrong. He’s not world-class yet”, Ferdinand commented.
Clearly, that opinion isn’t shared by the Arsenal fans on the flight to Porto. Multiple videos on social media show how they started serenading Ferdinand, all while calling Bukayo Saka ‘world class’. The videos show the former English footballer seated in the first row of the plane, with flight attendants standing in front of him without hiding their smile.
Interesting @Ryanair flight with the Arsenal fans this morning…. 😂😂✈️@BukayoSaka87 is top levels… no doubt! And will become “World Class” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/wAFwAFuKRJ
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) February 20, 2024
Such a welcoming couldn’t be left without a response so Ferdinand took the matter into his own hands by replying over the plane’s tannoy. “Hello guys, I just want to say it’s been an absolute pleasure travelling with you Arsenal fans. I must say, Saka is a fantastic player, just not world class yet. He will be, but just not yet”, he commented with an amused tone, after which fans can be heard in the background, once again chanting.
