Rio Ferdinand has stated that Omar Berrada leaving Manchester City to take a CEO position at bitter rival Manchester United has “shocked” the insiders at the Etihad Stadium.
The 46-year-old was chosen for the role on Saturday, with the help of INEOS and new minority stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe’s presence at Old Trafford has increased recently with the completion of his £1.3 billion acquisition to buy a 25% share in the football team. Premier League ratification is still pending.
Berrada joined Man City in 2011. He will now play a more significant role at United and succeed Richard Arnold.
Ferdinand believes that the announcement made by United’s new owners may hold greater significance than signing a new player during the January transfer window.
‘I spoke to some guys at City and they can’t believe we’ve got him,’ he told his podcast FIVE.
‘They think like ‘wow’. He’s done so much in the game at different levels. And he’s been succeessful. And it’s a really good, sharp signing for us.’
‘I think this could potentially be one of our best January signings. In the current climate we are in now, especially.’
During his tenure at Man City, Berrada had also assisted in arranging deals for Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.
He began his career in 2011 as one of their leaders of international business development after arriving from Barcelona. Later on, he worked for City Football Marketing as the commercial director and senior vice president.
In 2016, he was named chief operating officer of Man City. Later, he was named COO of the whole City Football Group, which runs 11 teams in five continents.
