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Anton Ferdinand (born February 18, 1985 in Peckham, London) is an English football player, currently playing for West Ham United. He plays as a central defender.

Born into a footballing family (both his brother Rio and cousin Les are successful players), Anton Ferdinand showed considerable talent from an early age. Like his brother, he preferred to play in defence. His ability in this position led to him being signed to West Ham United's famed academy. In particular, it was his technical ability and confidence with the ball at his feet that impressed most, and predictions of an England defence composed of the Ferdinand brothers have been made.

Ferdinand was handed his full debut in August 2003 when he started the 2-1 victory at Preston North End on the 2003-04 season's opening day, and went on to feature in 26 games that term.

In the 2004-05 season, he cemented his first team place with several key performances (including scoring the opening goal on the final day as the Hammers beat Watford 2-1) as West Ham booked a play-off spot. West Ham went on to beat Preston in the final, earning them promotion back into the FA Premier League after an absence of two years.

At the end of July 2005, Ferdinand decided to stay at West Ham by signing a three-year contract extension with the club. He had started the 2005-06 season in West Ham's defence and was also a regular selection for England's Under 21 side, having made his debut in a 3-1 win over Ukraine at the Riverside Stadium on August 17, 2004. He later revealed that he was offered to be on standby for the England World Cup squad but refused after he was carrying an injury from the epic cup final a week before.

Ferdinand won the Premier League Player of the Month award in January 2006.

In the 2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool in Cardiff, Ferdinand fell to his knees in tears after missing the decisive penalty in the shoot out.

In October 2006 Ferdinand was arrested on assault charges following a fracas outside a nightclub in Ilford. He was charged in November 2006 and is set to appear before magistrates^[1]. In March 2007 it was revealed that Ferdinand had been fined two weeks wages (estimated at £45,000) for lying about his whereabouts. Ferdinand told the club he need to go to the Isle of Wight to visit his sick grandmother - while in actual fact, he was in South Carolina celebrating his 22nd birthday. West Ham lost the following game to relegation rivals Charlton Athletic 0-4^[2].

• Anton Ferdinand career stats at Soccerbase
• Guardian Interview