Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand recently voiced his admiration for cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar during an interview with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia. On Allahbadia’s podcast, Ferdinand highlighted Tendulkar’s enduring impact, stating, “Tendulkar’s the guy, isn’t it? He just always stood out to me. He’s the most charismatic, and obviously what he achieved was worldwide recognition. It’s not just cricket fans that hear about someone like him. He transcends the sport.” This segment of the interview has quickly gained viral popularity, amassing over 184,000 views on social media.
The video sparked enthusiastic reactions online, with many echoing the sentiment, “If Cricket is a religion, Sachin Tendulkar is God.” Fans debated the relative merits of Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, with some arguing that Tendulkar’s achievements, particularly considering the era in which he played, would make him even more popular than Kohli in today’s landscape. Others emphasized Kohli’s significant contributions while lamenting the disrespect sometimes shown towards him. Many comments simply celebrated Tendulkar’s lasting legacy.
Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, boasts an unparalleled record. He played 200 Test matches, 463 ODIs, and one T20I for India, accumulating a staggering 34,357 runs and an unprecedented 100 international centuries (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs).
Rio Ferdinand, who retired from football in 2015 after a distinguished career, also holds a similarly impressive record, winning six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy, and several other major honors during his time at Manchester United (2002-2014). The unexpected pairing of these two sporting greats in conversation has generated significant buzz across social media and beyond.