Rio Ferdinand asked if he was going to die when doctors diagnosed him with heart condition

Rio Ferdinand once briefly feared for his life after being diagnosed with a heart condition ahead of his move to in 2000. The former centre-back was on the cusp of a record-breaking £18million move, which made him the most expensive defender.

After graduating from academy, Ferdinand quickly earned rave reviews for his performances with the Hammers and made his England debut as a teenager. In 2000, Leeds were prepared to break the bank for the young defender as David O’Leary added the final pieces to the team that would reach the semi-finals.

Ferdinand is best remembered for his 12-year stint at where he won six titles and the 2008 Champions League. However, the defender feared his career could be over at 22 after a heart issue was discovered during his Leeds medical.

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"They did checks at the hospital," Ferdiand said in his 2006 autobiography, Rio: My Story. "I was waiting for them to tell me everything was okay when one of them looked at me all serious and said 'You have got an irregular heart'.

"Had I heard that right? An irregular heart? Bloody hell, was I going to die? At the very least I thought I'd have to give up football. My dreams were shattered, and my mum nearly passed out.

"One side of my heart was an abnormal size and my blood was being pumped around in a different direction to most people's.

"Four hours later they said it would not be a problem. That was a very, very long four hours. They said it shouldn't affect me in life and so far it hasn't. But I still think about it."

Ferdinand's fears were quickly quelled, and his irregular heart had no impact on the rest of his career, retiring in 2015. The medical issue did not dissuade United from spending £29m on Ferdinand two years after his move to Elland Road, which saw him regain his title as the ’s most expensive defender from Lilian Thuram.

Since hanging up his boots a decade ago, Ferdinand has become a prominent pundit and is one of the leading analysts on TNT Sports' football coverage.

On Wednesday, the 46-year-old and said he would not be working on Wednesday's Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and He will also miss the semi-final between United and Athletic Bilbao. However, there is no suggestion that this is related to his heart condition.

In his social media post, Ferdinand said: "Gutted to be missing the Semi-Finals this week on @footballontnt!! Wishing the team all the best - I'll be watching every minute from the iPad!"

currently trail 1-0 on aggregate ahead of the return leg at the Parc des Princes. Previewing the second leg on his podcast, Ferdinand said: "If there is a team who can go to PSG and win, it's Arsenal. I don't think it's about ability at this stage, I think it's about mentality and belief.

"In they've got a matchwinner who can turn the game on its head. There's positives there but if the mindset isn't right, they will get smoked, I'm telling you. The problem for Arsenal is PSG are a proper team, I don't think they're invincible but they've been the best team in the Champions League."

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