7th November – Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has been banned recently by the FA because of comments he made on Twitter and he has been judged harsher as he is seen as a role model.

Now at the age of 36 the central defender should probably know better and it is good to see that the FA have decided to take action against someone perceived as a role model, however they should probably be dealing with other things first rather than a comment on Twitter. But Ferdinand will be hoping that he can finish off this season on good form and be remembered as a great defender.

Ferdinand started his career at West Ham and made his debut on the final day of the 1995-96 season after coming on as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday in 1-1 draw. Before breaking into the West Ham team on a regular basis he went out on loan to Bournemouth in November 1996 and made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Blackpool. He played 10 games during his spell at the club and returned to Upton Park in January 1997. He got more and more first team chances and was awarded the Hammer of the Year award at the end of the following season at the age of 19.

He would barely miss a game for the club over the next few seasons but in November 2000 he made the move to Leeds United for a British transfer record of £18 million. Despite a tricky start, he recovered to prove that he was worth the money the club paid and helped the club reach the semi finals of the Champions League in his first season, scoring against Deportivo La Coruna in the quarter finals. In his second season at the club things got even better on a personal level as he was given the captain’s armband because of his fantastic performances but unfortunately the club began to suffer financial problems and their star players needed to be sold.

On the 22nd July 2002 Ferdinand transferred to Manchester United and again broke the British transfer record. He got off to a good start and helped the club win the Premier League in his first season at the club but then he almost ruined his career in September 2003. After failing to attend a drugs test he was given an eight month ban and he may have never been given another chance. But he did return and on the 14th December 2005 he would go on to score his first goal for the club in a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic and then would later become a hero by scoring a last minute winner against Liverpool and then repeated it by scoring against them in a 2-0 win in the following season.

The 2006-07 season was arguably his best season as he helped the club win the title once more and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. The next season started brilliantly as the club kept six clean sheets in a row and Ferdinand chipped in with a goal against Aston Villa. During the season he had a ups and downs as he was involved with a steward in a defeat against Chelsea but on the pitch, he would lead his team to glory in the Champions League after beating the same opponents in the final.

Afterwards most of his time at Manchester United was disrupted by injuries but during his spell at the club he won six Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one Champions League and one Club World Cup so he will go down as one of the best. After being released he signed for QPR on the 17th July 2014 but he has struggled for form and the club have performed better when he has not been in the team so this looks like it will be his last season, especially if the club get relegated.

The final word can go to Harry Redknapp. “He’s a great role model. I signed him as 14-year-old, so I know him as well as anyone and I’m just so pleased to have him at the club. I spoke to Ryan Giggs to ask how much training he was doing and how fit he was and Ryan told me that, if he’d been manager at Old Trafford this season, he would’ve still been his No.1 centre-half.”

9th August – Filipe Luis

Filipe Luis has a tough job this season in being the true replacement for Ashley Cole at Chelsea but if his time in Spain is anything to go by then he will be a success.

Jose Mourinho knew he needed a new left back and even though Cesar Azpilicueta did a very good job it does give him more options at the back. If Chelsea are to challenge for both the Champions League and Premier League they will certainly need top quality players and come the end of the season Luis could be the best signing of the summer or at least the most reliable.

The left back started his career at Brazilian club Figueirense where he played for two seasons and made 22 appearances for the club before moving to Real Madrid in 2005, however he did not play for the first team and was instead moved to their B-team in the Segunda Division. He played 37 times in the league and impressed enough to earn a loan move away to La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna.

Although he did not get as many chances as he would have liked his loan was extended for another season and in the 2007-08 season he went onto become their first choice left back and on the 10th June he made his move permanent by signing a five year deal. During his first season as a Depor player he was the only outfield player in La Liga to appear in every league match and he also scored two goals.

Once again in the following season he had played every minute and helped Deportivo to fourth in the table, however a horrific injury to his right fibula in January meant he was likely to miss the rest of the season. Amazingly he returned to action in less than four months and on his comeback was involved in the goal that helped the club win 1-0 against Mallorca.

Luis’ form meant that other club were looking at him and on the 23rd July 2010 Atletico Madrid signed him for an undisclosed fee on a five year deal. He made his debut against Real Zaragoza and set up Diego Costa for the only goal of the game and was awarded the man of the match award. Despite some impressive performances he struggled to hold down the left back spot in his first season but eventually he became a vital member of the team.

From then on the team became much more successful and he played the full 90 minutes in their Copa Del Rey final victory over Real Madrid in 2013 which was the catalyst for even more trophies. In his final season at the club he helped the team reach the Champions League final and also was part of the defence that conceded only 26 goals in the league and lifted the La Liga trophy at the end of the campaign. On the 18th July Luis made the move to Chelsea for £15.8 million.

The final word can go to Jose Mourinho. “We needed a pure left back, a real left back. He is experienced. Very stable, very reliable. He is a player who normally does not make mistakes.”

5th May- Yossi Benayoun

One of the best attacking talents to ever come out of Israel has proved to be one of the best to open up teams that are sitting deep with accurate through balls and killer passes.

Yossi Benayoun is 34 and is coming towards the end of his career but is hoping to have an impact in the playoffs and help his team QPR get promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. But at one point it seemed as though he would not have a career outside of Israel as he had the chance to play for Dutch side Ajax but after him and his family did not settle well he returned to his homeland. At the age of 16 he went straight into the Hapoel Be’er Sheva team and although he had an amazing season scoring 15 times in just 25 games it was not good enough to keep them in the top flight.

Benayoun moved to Maccabi Haifa in the summer and in his first season he scored 16 times and then in his next 19. But it was the 2000-01 season that he had his best season under the guidance of Avram Grant as the club won the Israeli Premier League for the first time in seven years and was named the most valuable player in the league. He then helped the club retain the title the next season but this was blighted with injury and signalled the end of his time in Israel.

In 2002 he moved to Spanish side Racing Santander and spent three seasons at the club scoring five in 31, seven in 35 and then nine in 35 which included a hatrick against Deportivo La Coruna. Santander then opted to sell the midfielder but Benayoun rejected a move to CSKA Moscow with him preferring to move to England or stay in Spain.

It was West Ham that paid £2.5 million for his services and he was an instant success. He scored five goals in his first season and provided eight assists in the Premier League, his first goal was against Aston Villa in a 4-0 win. His next season he did not get as many goals but his performances were still very good and it was not surprising that he was linked with some of the top clubs in the country.

On the 12th July he joined Liverpool for £5 million. He impressed everyone with his close control and in a Champions League game against Besiktas he scored a hatrick in an 8-0 win. By the end of his first season he had played 48 games and scored 11 goals but this did not stop rumours that he was going to leave the club in the summer. But his greatest moment in a Liverpool shirt came away to Real Madrid in 2009 as he scored a header in a 1-0 win in the 82nd minute.

In 2010 he moved to another big Premier League club in Chelsea. Unfortunately his career never really took off and in his three years there he only played 24 times but he did manager to pick up a winners medal in the Europa League. In the 2011-12 season he joined Arsenal on loan and played 25 games for the club scoring six goals and was once again back on form. Another loan spell away from Chelsea was to follow and he rejoined old club West Ham but this spell was nowhere near as successful as an injury cut it short after just six games.

Benayoun is currently at QPR and has so far scored three times in 15 games. The final word can go to his former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez after Benayoun signed a contract extension. “Our idea was to extend the contracts of some players, and Yossi was one of these players. He has been really good for us over the last year, scoring crucial goals and getting assists, so we wanted to keep him and I’m really pleased with the extension”

27th April – Walter Pandiani

Uruguayans have been hit and miss in the Premier League, there have been some like Luis Suarez and then others that had a lot of quality but did not quite cut it like Diego Forlan.

Unfortunately ‘El Rifle’ fits more into the second category. Walter Pandiani had two spells at Birmingham City while they were in the Premier League and it seemed like they had signed one of the best finishers in Europe at the time. After playing for Progreso, Basanez and Penarol in his home country he made the move to Spain to play for Deportivo La Coruna. Although he was never a regular starter he had a phenomenal record and scored a lot of goals off the bench. In between the years of 2000 and 2005 he played 86 league games for the club and scored 31 goals including 13 in the 2003-04 season. During his time at the club he went out on loan to Mallorca and scored 13 goals in 33 games for them and was getting a growing reputation of someone that knew where the back of the net was.

After several run ins with Deportivo coach Javier Irureta he made his move to Birmingham City initially on loan. It did not take him long to show off his talents as he scored on his debut in a 2-1 win over Southampton. Manager Steve Bruce said after the game: “Walter Pandiani arrived yesterday with no boots, and he doesn’t speak a word of English, but he’ll give us a lift.” In his next 13 appearances he managed three goals and this led to Birmingham signing him permanently for £3 million.

However he failed to show the form of his loan spell and only half a season later he was sold to Espanyol for £1 million. He played 31 times in the league for Birmingham scoring only six goals. His first full season at new club Espanyol was interesting as he only scored seven league goals but this included a first half hatrick away to Real Madrid. Although he struggled domestically everything he touched in the UEFA Cup seemed to go in as he ended the campaign as the top scorer in the competition with 11 goals. The club lost in the final on penalties against Spanish rivals Sevilla.

Pandiani then left the club for Osasuna where he was hardly used in his first season at the club but in his second season he ended it as their top scorer. He played a key role in a victory over Real Madrid in which he was involved in a verbal spat with Cristiano Ronaldo. Pandiani saying about the Portuguese player. “As a footballer he is a phenomenon but to do the things he does, maybe he has a screw loose.”

After leaving Osasuna he rejoined Espanyol but this was only for one season which he spent mostly on the bench but he did manage to grab late winner against Getafe and Real Betis. In 2012 he joined Villarreal and on his debut he scored the winning goal and followed this up the next week by scoring the winner again. However these were the only two goals he scored in the league.

At his next club Atletico Baleares he started in a game alongside his son with Pandiani Senior scoring in a 2-1 defeat. In October 2013 they both joined Uruguayan club Miramar Misiones where they still play.

The last word can go to former Birmingham City co owner David Sullivan just after selling the player: “Walter is not a bad player and he did well recently against Manchester United and Chelsea. You’ve got to take your hat off to his commitment towards the club, he scored important goals