2 min read
Football Insider

Leny Yoro's Ultimate Defender: The Sergio Ramos vs Rio Ferdinand Dilemma

In a surprising turn of events, Manchester United defender Leny Yoro has crowned Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos as his ultimate centre-back over the club icon Rio Ferdinand. Dive into the intriguing bracket challenge that led to this decision and discover Yoro's admiration for Barcelona star Pedri.

Leny Yoro's Ultimate Defender: The Sergio Ramos vs Rio Ferdinand Dilemma

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro has snubbed club icon Rio Ferdinand in a battle of defensive legends, crowning Sergio Ramos as his ultimate centre-back instead. In a viral social media video, the French teenager explained his decision-making process, admitting his own playing style mirrors Ferdinand’s but ultimately giving the nod to the Real Madrid hero.In a new video for Fan Zone, Leny Yoro was tasked with a bracket challenge to determine the greatest defender from a curated list of footballing icons. The 19-year-old began the quarter-finals by selecting Sergio Ramos over Gerard Pique and choosing Italian maestro Paolo Maldini over Fabio Cannavaro. On the Premier League side of the draw, he showed loyalty to his current employers by picking Rio Ferdinand over Chelsea legend John Terry and preferring Nemanja Vidic to Manchester City icon Vincent Kompany.The semi-finals threw up some difficult decisions. Ramos advanced past Maldini, setting up a final against the winner of the "battle of Old Trafford" between Ferdinand and Vidic. Yoro selected Ferdinand to reach the final, but when faced with the ultimate choice between the Englishman and Ramos, Yoro admitted it was "tough". After a moment of hesitation, he eventually declared "Ramos" as the winner, leaving Ferdinand as the runner-up.Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!Despite the final decision, Yoro offered insight into how he views his own game during the challenge. When forced to choose between the legendary United partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic in the semi-final, he sided with the Englishman for a specific reason. "My style is more like Ferdinand, so I'm going to say Ferdinand," Yoro explained to the host.While Yoro clearly holds Ferdinand in high regard, placing him in his top two defenders of all time, the allure of the Spaniard's trophy-laden career proved too strong to ignore. Ferdinand may have won the battle for Yoro's signature, but he has lost the battle for his GOAT status.The final result serves as a slightly ironic twist given the context of Yoro's arrival at United. It is well-documented that Ferdinand played a significant role in convincing the teenager to move to Old Trafford last summer, acting as a mentor and selling the project to him when Real Madrid - where Ramos cemented his legacy - were also heavily interested."He called me. First of all, I was really impressed to speak with him and, yeah, we spoke like 10 minutes about Man United," Yoro said when he joined the club."He helped me a lot to make my choice. It was really an honour to speak with him. He spoke to me about the club, and that this is a historic club with a big story, and if I go there I need to fight for the club, to be ready, because this is the biggest club in the world. For me, it was really good to speak about this."Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingYoro also revealed his admiration for Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri. He was asked to rank five top players including himself, Jude Bellingham, Pau Cubarsi and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

1

The Battle of Defensive Legends Unveiled

Manchester United's rising star Leny Yoro recently took part in a bracket challenge to determine the greatest defender of all time, with an unexpected outcome. Despite his playing style mirroring that of Rio Ferdinand, Yoro ultimately selected Sergio Ramos over the ex-Man Utd centre-back after some tough decisions along the way.

2

Quarter-Finals Drama

Yoro's journey to selecting his ultimate defender saw him choosing Sergio Ramos over Gerard Pique and Paolo Maldini over Fabio Cannavaro. While displaying loyalty to his current club by picking Ferdinand over John Terry and Nemanja Vidic over Vincent Kompany, the French teenager faced challenging matchups.

3

The Final Showdown

After navigating through the bracket challenge, Leny Yoro faced the ultimate decision between Ramos and Ferdinand in the final. Despite acknowledging Ferdinand's influence on his game and United's history, Yoro eventually crowned Ramos as the winner, highlighting the Spaniard's illustrious career.

4

Insights and Ironies

Yoro's selection of Ramos over Ferdinand adds an intriguing layer to his journey at Manchester United, where Ferdinand played a key role in persuading the teenager to join the club. Despite this, Yoro's admiration for Ramos's accomplishments on the field ultimately swayed his final choice in the bracket challenge.

5

Admiration for Pedri

In addition to the defensive showdown, Leny Yoro also shared his admiration for Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri. This further showcases Yoro's respect for top talents in the game and his appreciation for the skills and qualities of players beyond his defensive counterparts.

Published on Jan 21, 2026