Jamie Carragher has brutally mocked Rio Ferdinand’s claim he is a ‘man of the people’ as the football pundits and former England team-mates clashed on social media.
Carragher has been in the headlines in recent days having been vocal over Mohamed Salah’s outburst at Liverpool and his manager Arne Slot last weekend.
The former Liverpool defender had branded Salah’s comments as a ‘disgrace’ in an eight minute segment on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football, before tempering his criticism of the winger later in the week.
Carragher had responded to Salah’s comment that he would ‘criticise me again’ by stating ‘Have I ever criticised Mo Salah on the pitch?’. He was interrupted by presenter David Jones who pointed out, ‘Well, a couple of weeks ago you said his legs were gone’.
Ferdinand retweeted a post of the clip earlier this week, which had described it as ‘the best television moment of 2025.’
Salah was left out of Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek amid the furore. He returned to the squad on Saturday after holding talks with Slot, with Salah then coming on as a first half substitute in their 2-0 victory over Brighton.
Salah’s name was sung by Liverpool fans post-match as he applauded the crowd.
Former Man United defender Ferdinand shared a clip on social media, posting ‘Thoughts @Carra23? “Mo Salah” being sung by the Kop”.
Carragher responded to Ferdinand by agreeing with the reception for Salah, before taking aim at his former England team-mate.
The Liverpool legend mocked Ferdinand’s silence over the price of World Cup tickets, after he had declared he was a ‘man of the people’ prior to hosting the tournament draw on behalf of governing body FIFA.
It emerged this week that England fans would have to pay more than £5,000 on tickets alone to follow the Three Lions if they make it to next summer’s World Cup final, without taking into consideration the cost of flights and hotels.
The Football Association are set to share fan concerns with FIFA over ticket pricing, with the Football Supporters’ Association branding the prices ‘laughable’.
‘And rightly so, he was fantastic when he came on,’ Carragher responded to Ferdinand’s comment on Salah.
Carragher added: ‘Thoughts on the price of the World Cup tickets @rioferdy5.
‘A man of the people would surely call FIFA and Infantino out. Or was your pay packet for the draw (acting) to buy your silence.’
Ferdinand responded to the Carragher with two fishing rod emojis, with the 47-year-old appearing to suggest he had baited his fellow pundit into the response.
Carragher’s comments came after Ferdinand had been mocked by fans for both his declaration he is a ‘man of the people’ and his acting when hosting the World Cup draw earlier this month in Washington.
The BBC’s Dan Roan had asked Ferdinand: ‘Do you think the cost of tickets needs to be borne in mind to fans? There’s been a lot around dynamic pricing that might be pricing out certain fans. Is it important that this event does have football fans for the atmosphere and they’re not priced out?’
Ferdinand replied: ‘I am a man of the people in terms of I’m from a place where we were always hoping for things to be accessible.
‘I know that the people behind the scenes at FIFA are aiming and working to something like that now, whether they get there for that remains to be seen.
‘I think we have to be conscious of that and I think FIFA are definitely people who are conscious of that, the powers that be there.
‘I think we can look at every industry, every sector, we have that conversation about things and I think it’s more about making sure that there’s a product that’s super elite that matches what’s on the pitch and then everyone can feel that it’s justified taking time out and working hard to go and get tickets.’
Ferdinand’s comments were thought to refer to his upbringing on a council estate in Peckham, London, but attracted the ire of fans due to the former United defender’s decision to move his family to the tax haven of Dubai in the summer.
Carragher had aimed a dig at Ferdinand’s expense, responding with three laughing emojis followed by three money emojis.
Ferdinand later hit back on social media, posting a picture of himself on the phone while holding two newspapers – one of which is headlined ‘Man of the people’ and featured a picture of the former defender.
It was not the only criticism Ferdinand had received around the World Cup draw, with fans having panned his acting in pre-recorded segments.
Ferdinand had engaged in some build-up videos, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek.
The Manchester United legend also took part in explainer videos for how the World Cup works with some young children.
