'I’m a member of Man Utd’s WhatsApp group – I can’t speak my mind because of one person'

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Cristiano Ronaldo has previously joked that he has to be careful with his words in the Manchester United legends' group chat because of ' Rio [Ferdinand] the journalist'. Ferdinand and Ronaldo were team-mates at United from 2003 to 2009, a period which is considered one of the most successful in the club's history.

Both players arrived as promising talents and evolved into world-class stars. Together, they clinched three Premier League titles and the Champions League , and their camaraderie has endured after Ferdinand's retirement and Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia. They even sat down for an interview together last year.

The duo also continue to stay connected through a United WhatsApp group, named 'Band of Brothers', which includes players from the 2008 Champions League-winning squad. Former defender Patrice Evra once described the group as 'really active'.

However, Ronaldo has started to exercise caution with his comments due to Ferdinand's thriving YouTube channel and podcast, Rio Ferdinand Presents. The platform features interviews with top current and former players, leading the Al-Nassr star to joke that he needs to be more careful with what he shares.

In a recent interview with The Times , Ferdinand said while laughing: "It's funny because Cristiano [Ronaldo] calls me a journalist now. He messaged me saying, 'Now I can't say too much in the United WhatsApp group, Rio's in there. Rio the journalist!'"

Ferdinand recently enjoyed conversations with former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen on his YouTube channel. Before that, he chatted with past and present United stars, including Wayne Rooney , Harry Maguire , Nemanja Vidic and Evra, several of whom are in the previously mentioned group chat.

The 46-year-old once shed light on what the legends discuss, saying they use it to critique the current squad and share jokes just like they did in the changing room. He even joked that Evra "regularly leaves" because he "gets bullied in there" .

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Evra himself revealed: "We are lucky, the United group, we still have a WhatsApp group. Every morning we just laugh with each other. We have still got that.

"It is most of the players from 2008 when we won the Champions League. It is really active. Every two minutes.

"Rio created it. We just keep connected and have a laugh. It was not just a team, it was like a family."

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Stars like Dimitar Berbatov, Edwin van der Sar and Nani are also part of it, while former captain Vidic left after becoming annoyed with the volume of text notifications he was receiving.

"Vida [Vidic] came in for ten minutes then left," Ferdinand revealed. "How long did you come in for? One day maybe? He didn't like the notifications, the messages coming through - a hundred messages."

"It's a metaphor for the dressing room so you should come back," Berbatov told Vidic. "Change with time, you need to speak. (Laughing) In a way it's like me progressing and you regressing."

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