Rio Ferdinand recalls Man Utd bender where he showered in suit and nearly missed flight

Rio Ferdinand knows all about celebrating success - and he couldn’t help but recall Manchester United ’s wild celebrations after winning the Champions League in Moscow in 2008.

Ferdinand and former team-mate Owen Hargreaves both watched Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to lift the iconic trophy in Lisbon.

Covering the game for BT Sport, they recalled their celebrations after beating Chelsea on penalties as they predicted a big night for Hansi Flick’s victorious side.

And Ferdinand admitted winning the Champions League led to arguably his heaviest ever session as he showed in his club suit and “went toe to toe” with a fan.

“I don’t remember it was that good!” Ferdinand said. “You enjoy it.

Rio Ferdinand recalled the wildest celebrations of his Man Utd career (BT Sport)

“After the Champions League final in Moscow it was probably the most I ever consumed.

“I went toe to toe with one of the fans who’d got into the party and I ended up out drinking him that night.

“I was worse for wear that night. I ended up showering in my full suit that I wore in Moscow and I
almost missed the flight home.

“It was an eventful night. You can get away with it.”

Rio Ferdinand lifted the Champions League in Moscow in 2008 after beating Chelsea (PA)

Hargreaves, who also won the Champions League with Bayern as a youngster in 2001, claimed he was subdued after his first triumph.

“You just can’t believe it,” he said. “The thing was, in Germany at the time it was my first season and I was so young I didn’t really celebrate at the time.

“I didn’t want the boys to think I was a flash in the pan, so I just had a quiet drink with my family and went to bed.”

Owen Hargreaves was also part of the Man Utd team that won on penalties (John Peters)

It was a different story with the Red Devils, however, as he said: “I went for it in Moscow. I was 37, I had to enjoy it!”

Before harking back to his glory days, Ferdinand expressed sympathy for what Paris Saint-Germain’s stars will go through after their defeat .

Ferdinand told BT Sport: “These guys won’t enjoy their holidays this year, they won’t.

Ferdinand admitted Neymar and Mbappe "won't enjoy their holiday" after their final heartache (REUTERS)

“I’ve been there in that position where you feel you were that close, you were in the final. Listen, we got destroyed in two finals against Barcelona, this was closer.

“But it doesn’t alter the fact you will go on holiday and it will just enjoy yourself and start to get into the grove then bang, you’re taken back to this moment and this feeling. 


“It’s terrible, it takes a while to get rid of it.”