Rio Ferdinand has put his £10.5million UK mansion up for sale after moving to Dubai.
The football legend, 47, moved his influencer wife Kate and children to the tax-free Emirate in August, revealing he wanted to start a “new journey”.
And in a move that suggests he has quit the UK for good, the former Manchester United defender has placed his seven-bedroom home in Orpington, Kent, on the market.
The 12,500 sq ft property is listed for £10.5million and is in the exclusive gated enclave of Farnborough Park, The Mail reported.
The mansion boasts 20 acres of landscaped grounds and is described by estate agents as an “exceptional” and “truly prestigious family home”.
He is thought to have bought the lavish pad for around £2.7million in 2008, meaning he would get a £8million profit if it sells at asking price.
The decision to sell comes several months after Ferdinand blasted tax rises in the UK and questioned whether the struggling public serves justifies the pressure placed on high earners.
Asked on LBC Radio in December whether higher taxes were behind his decision to move abroad, he said: “If things like the health service, for example, was absolutely flying and working perfectly well then I think people wouldn’t mind paying tax.
“But when there’s things that are falling apart and going wrong in the country, then I sit there and go, we pay towards tax and is it really going towards the things that are actually benefiting the people that live here?
“And that’s the big question that needs answering. I think a lot of us know the answer to that.”
Last summer, Ferdinand and his wife Kate announced in a joint statement that they were moving to Dubai for “a new chapter” and “a fresh start”.
The athlete and former TOWIE star, 34, met in the United Arab Emirates city and had long talked about moving.
They married in 2019, and she became stepmother to his three children Lorenz, 19, Tate, 17, and Tia, 14, from his first marriage to Rebecca Ellison, who died of breast cancer in 2015 at the age of 34.
The couple are also parents to son Cree, five, and two-year-old daughter Shae.
“A new chapter, a fresh start — because if we don’t try, we’ll never know,” they wrote.
“Ahhh! We’ve talked about this for so long, and now it’s finally real… we’re here. We are making a new home in the place we met!
“Missing some of our specials already & a bit scared, excited & nervous — but more than anything, ready for fresh starts and new beginnings.”
They are believed to be living in a luxury £7 million home in the gated Al Barari neighbourhood.
Discussing the move, Ferdinand previously said: “In Dubai, it feels like they’re valued and the lifestyle means that they’re happy and vibrant with a good energy for the kids. Lifestyle, safety, weather - it’s just a new life.
“I love England and I’m a patriotic guy in that sense, but a new journey, a new chapter, something different, I think is a refreshing new chapter in my life.”
