Ferdinand: I can't let family down

16 May 2009 12:08
Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand's will to succeed is fuelled by the desire to spare his family the consequences of failure. The 24-year-old will run out at Portsmouth on Monday evening knowing he has reputations to uphold - and not just his own. Ferdinand, the younger brother of Manchester United and England star Rio, has similar ambitions and is conscious that whatever he does reflects on his whole family. He said: "I put pressure on myself every game. I am always talking to myself. One of the last things I will be saying before coming out of the dressing room is 'I can't let the name down, I can't let the Ferdinand name down, I can't let Rio down, I can't let my dad down, I can't let my mum down, I can't let my girlfriend down', all different people. "That's the pressure I put on because if I do, I'm not the one who is going to be getting it, they are the ones who are going to be getting it. "Whether they are in the barber's shop or whether they are out in the street, people know they are related to me and they are the ones who are going to get it, so I put that pressure on myself. Especially being the younger brother of the best centre-back in the world, I certainly don't want to let him down."

Source: Eurosport