24 March 2008
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Rio Ferdinand interview

As he prepares to face France as captain, Rio Ferdinand spoke to TheFA.com on his hopes for the future.

France v England
International Friendly
8pm, Wednesday 26 March 2008
Stade de France, Paris
Live on Sky Sports

Rio Ferdinand says he is honoured to be named as England captain for tomorrow night's friendly match with France in Paris.

The Manchester United defender will lead out Fabio Capello's team at the Stade de France and admits the opportunity to wear the captain's armband will be a dream come true.

"It's a fantastic honour and an achievement in itself to be named as England captain," said Ferdinand.

"As a kid, it is something you dream of doing, leading England out and I've been given the honour to fulfil those dreams.

"I'll lead by example and if something needs to be said then I won't be afraid to say what I want to say.

"It's about going out there and doing what I do with Manchester United and taking it on to the international stage.

"You don't change your game because you're a captain. You need to be a leader whenever you step out onto the field.

"It's more important that we have 11 players out there that want to be leaders and stick their chests out and lead from the front.

"If we do that then we'll have a much better chance of winning tournaments."

Ferdinand has revealed that the desire to succeed within the Three Lions squad remains as strong as ever under Capello.

The Manchester United defender explained that the winning mentality fostered by Capello since his arrival can only add to the chances of success in the future.

After featuring in Capello's first game in charge, a 2-1 win over Switzerland at Wembley in February, Ferdinand will now lead out the team on Wednesday evening and revealed that the determination to succeed is as strong as ever.

"Regardless of who the manager is, we always have the desire to do well and be successful," Ferdinand explained in an exclusive interview with TheFA.com ahead of the trip to Paris.

"You don't turn up with England to lose games or be dwindling around. You want to benefit the England team and that means playing well and getting results.

"That's always the aim but hasn't always been the outcome, so hopefully that will be a change under the new management."

Ferdinand also likened the new approach with England to that of his club, where few people need reminding of the achievements of manager Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford over the years.

"It's just like my club manager, which is exactly what we need," he added. 

"It's all about gearing everything to winning games, from the training ground, the hotel, on the pitch and then after the game.

"The most important thing he (Capello) can bring is the winning mentality."

The game on Wednesday will also offer England a firm test, with the hosts having been one of the leading forces in world football over the last decade or so.

With many of the French players already plying their trade in the Premiership, Ferdinand knows that it will not be an easy game against Raymond Domenech's team.

"In recent years they've been one of the top five teams," admitted Rio. 

"They've had some fantastic footballers and they seem to be churning out good players on a regular basis now.

"It will be a tough game, but we're more than equipped to go out there and get a good result."

Watch the full and exclusive interview with Rio by clicking the link above.