Rio Ferdinand takes flak on Facebook for saying how he’s going to vote in the EU Referendum

It's not often you see footballers take an impassioned stand on politics.

But these aren't normal times. Britain is facing the toughest decision of a generation in the EU Referendum, something that will determine the course of history in our country for generations to come. David Beckham spoke eloquently about the way he is set to vote in Thursday's referendum - and he took some stick for speaking out. But now his former teammate Rio Ferdinand has followed suit and added his voice to the debate about which box he intends to cross when the nation goes to the polls. Whether you're in the Leave camp or you are planning to vote Remain, whether you agree with him or not, you have to respect the United legend for speaking from the heart. It's a rarity in football these days with its endless, empty platitudes. Something everyone can agree on though is that whatever stance you feel passionate about, make your opinion count. Vote tomorrow and have your say.

No-one has the right to tell anyone how to vote. Voting is personal, and we all have different past experiences, current circumstances and hopes for the future. But the beauty of a democracy is that we all have the right to vote. We should use it. Because we’re lucky to live in a country where regardless of who you are – rich or poor, black or white, Manchester United or Man City – we can get out there on Thursday and have our say. Every vote is equal, and each one really matters. Sometimes democracy makes us angry. It pushes us to extremes, especially in a referendum like this that makes everyone pretend things are black and white, when they’re probably not. But the blessing to express yourself – and to disagree respectfully – is one we should cherish. Especially when the outcome will affect everyone so much. Thursday will be the first time I’ve ever been motivated to vote in an election. That’s how seriously I’m taking this. Because the question about our future in Europe isn’t about Conservative versus Labour; it’s not about which bunch of politicians we want running the country. It’s much bigger than that. It’s not about the next five years; it’s about the next fifty. Probably even longer. It’s about the sort of country our kids are going to grow up in, and how the rest of the world will look at Britain from now on.

He's dead right. This is an opportunity for every one of us to exercise our democratic right and a chance to shape our country's future. Like millions of us, he has weighed up both sides of the argument and made his choice. It's an opinion personal to him. Ferdinand explained in the Facebook post, which has been shared thousands of times, that he intends to vote Remain. The first reason he says is for his three children.

I teach them that they can achieve anything – that they should dream big. And a lot of the things I’ve heard in this referendum tells me that there’ll be less opportunity for them if we’re out there on our own, pulling up the drawbridge to the rest of the world. I think other countries will just do the same to us.

He then goes on to make the football analogy of politics being a team game that Britain needs to be a part of.

I worked for the greatest manager of all time. Sir Alex Ferguson always taught us that no individual is bigger than the team; that just because we played for Man United – a massive, famous club – didn’t mean we could swan around doing our own thing. We had to work even harder, and be even more of a team, to get where we wanted to be. And I think Europe is a bit like that. Britain is an amazing country, but we’ll achieve much more if we’re a team player – working with others to get things done. I am a big believer in needing to work with our friends and neighbours in Europe if we want to make a change we and our children can be proud of. The sort of things young people care about: tackling climate change, helping refugees, fighting disease in Africa – they can only get fixed if we all work together. So we shouldn’t cut off our nose to spite our face by walking away.

The third strand of his choice to vote Remain was again rooted in growing up playing alongside players of different nationalities.

The third reason is the kind of country I want us to be. I’ve got a bit of a unique perspective on this. I’ve seen racism in football and I’ve spoken out about the racism my family and I experienced growing up in London in the 1980s. A lot has changed for the better – don’t get me wrong. But in this campaign, to tell you the truth, I haven’t liked what I’ve seen. I think all the focus on immigration has been a real shame. I don’t want Britain to become an angry and mean-spirited country. I think there’s a danger that, if Leave wins, it’ll be an endorsement of the idea that it’s OK to blame all our problems on foreigners. The England football team used to do that. And it didn’t help us play any better. Then we started learning from the foreign players we’d brought to the Premier League, and we improved ourselves. So let’s remember: Europeans make a really important contribution to our country, and most of our problems are actually home-grown. 

Like much of the Brexit debate, Ferdinand's unique view on the referendum polarised comments on Facebook. Many people felt his status as a multi-millionaire former footballer somehow negated his opinion. Well, except this guy... Others disagreed with the points made by Ferdinand.... But his Facebook post also had a lot of support from others intending to vote Remain...