Football
PA Sport 9y

Chelsea's John Terry has been outstanding this year - Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has told The Sun that, although he "no longer gets on" with John Terry, he can admit that the Chelsea defender has been "outstanding" this season.

The former England teammates do not speak any more as a result of the fall-out from Terry's racism case with Ferdinand's brother, Anton.

Rio Ferdinand last year used his autobiography to say he found it "impossible to forgive or forget" the pain of that incident, but on Friday said he felt moved to praise Terry's on-the-field performances.

The QPR defender said: "It's no secret that me and John Terry are not the closest of mates, but just because we no longer get on does not mean I've lost my admiration for him as a footballer.

"His performances for Chelsea this season have been nothing short of outstanding and I'm not afraid to say it. John took the decision to retire from playing for England and had his reasons, but Chelsea are reaping the benefits.

"John is finding, as I did, that the upside of being off the international scene is that your body gets the rest it needs, which allows you to keep performing at top-level well into your 30s.

"As I said, me and John are not pals but then again I didn't like a lot of things about Luis Suarez either, especially when he was biting people."

Chelsea will win a fourth Premier League title if they beat Crystal Palace on Sunday.

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