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Former England captain Rio Ferdinand has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 36-year-old defender earned 81 caps and won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two League Cups and the Club World Cup during his 12 years with Manchester United. In a statement, Ferdinand hailed the "genius" of Sir Alex Ferguson, saying he will "always be the greatest manager in British football history.

" The father of three - whose wife Rebecca died from cancer on 1 May - started out playing for his boyhood team of West Ham. Ferdinand pictured with his wife Rebecca in 2009 He spent his last season at QPR, who have released him after the team's relegation from the Premier League. Ferdinand said in a statement: "After 18 years as a professional footballer, I now feel it's the right time for me to retire from the game that I love... "I will always regard the 81 times that I played for England with immense pride. These are all treasured memories that will last a lifetime. "Winning trophies over my 13 years at Manchester United allowed me to achieve everything that I desired in football. From a young child to today, that was all I cared about.

"I'd also like to thank and pay tribute to my wife Rebecca and my family, including my mother and father, for their sacrifices, their encouragement and their advice throughout my career. "And finally, I'd like to thank all the fans from all the clubs - for without them professional football would not exist.

I will miss each and every one of you on my Saturday afternoons." Gary Neville, who played with Ferdinand for England and Manchester United many hundreds of times, said: "Congratulations to @rioferdy5 on his great career. Best I played with and best pairings I've seen with Vida/JT.
Covered me very well too!" Michael Owen, who also played alongside Ferdinand at United, described him as an "absolute Rolls Royce".
His final football team, QPR, also tweeted: "All the best to @rioferdy5 following his retirement from football." Rio Ferdinand and his wife Rebecca Ellison