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Rio's Had The Best Of Both Worlds
'It's important you know where you're from'.
Manchester United Centre-back Rio Ferdinand reflected on his own personal experience of being mixed-race to Leon Mann in an interview for The Voice newspaper.
Growing up in multicultural Peckham, the England defender has had a number of different cultural influences on his life and whilst he's always been happy to speak about his racially mixed background he's never been asked about it before.
'Being mixed-race I think I’ve had the best of both worlds,' he says. 'My mum and dad were both really strong on making sure I knew everything about where my dad was from and the family roots and the same goes for my mum’s side.'
'I’ve never spent time with just one side of the family. I’ve always spent just as much time with each side, so I’ve always had a good understanding of who I am and where I’m from.'
Rio recognizes the importance of ensuring mixed-race children have balanced input from all of their racial backgrounds.
'I think some problems come when you have people who don’t have a good understanding of both sides of their culture – just one. It’s important that when you’re from a mixed background you know exactly where you’re from.'
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