Rio Ferdinand. The name conjures up a myriad of emotions and thoughts for soccer fans, both positive and negative. A flamboyant and contentious personality like Ferdinand is bound to be divisive, and it often seems that the majority of fans (not just fans of rival teams) dislike Ferdinand. What is it about Ferdinand that is so easy to hate? Let’s look at some of the evidence.

1. He’s Loud – Ferdinand, as a center-back, has always had a reputation for leading from the back and shouting instructions to his team. This has always been one of his best skills, and all the trophies he won at Manchester United backs that up. But that loud, brash, outspoken manner has gotten him into trouble on a few occasions, and his lack of hesitation in squaring up to an opponent has put Ferdinand into the bad books of fans of nearly every club in England. Ferdinand’s passion often boils into angry outbursts, such as the time he kicked a female steward on accident whilst throwing a tantrum after a match at Stamford Bridge. Ferdinand also occasionally allows his temper to get the best of him during matches, having once been charged with violent conduct for elbowing Hull City’s Craig Fagan.

2. He’s an Obnoxious Tweeter – Having spent much of the last few seasons on the bench or the injury table, Ferdinand has really started gearing up for retirement by building up his social media presence. By that I mean, he tweets a lot. Much of it is barely readable and inane, and he really enjoys getting into Twitter rows with people, like recently fired CNN host Piers Morgan. The soccer world rolls its collective eyes at Ferdinand and his constant blathering and hocking of his “products,” but we all follow him so that we are sure not to miss gems like this. Oh, he also got dead last in an ESPNFC study of footballers’ vocabulary on Twitter.

3. He Constantly Dregs Up Old Controversies – The John Terry-Anton Ferdinand and Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra racism incidents were unfortunate, complex, and most importantly, over. Rio understandably holds stock in the former incident as it concerns his brother, but both incidents should be done and dusted by now. With the release of Ferdinand’s book, he’s taken the opportunity to bring all of it back into the spotlight with him. Since that’s all he’s talked about, I’m guessing it’s the most interesting part of his book? Regardless, his sniping at John Terry is at this point rather contrived and selfish. In Ferdinand’s mind, it’s impossible that maybe his England career ended because he wasn’t good enough, rather than because Roy Hodgson thought he couldn’t work with Terry.

4. He’s a Hypocrite – Ferdinand has been involved in a number of controversial incidents off the pitch, some of which paint him in a rather hypocritical light. Ferdinand called a DJ a “faggot” once, but quickly apologized after realizing he was live on the radio. In what could be deemed the ultimate Rio Ferdinand incident, the player tweeted about former England teammate Ashley Cole and his involvement in the John Terry case, using the racist slang term “choc ice.” Ferdinand was later charged and fined for the offensive tweet.

5. The List Goes On – Many of these cases are likely the cause for Ferdinand’s rather low standing in the eyes of most soccer fans. The most high profile of them, the John Terry case, surely sealed the deal for most. But Ferdinand’s transgressions don’t stop there. He’s been involved in a number of illegal situations, from the football-related (missed a doping test, saying he “forgot”), to the stupid (more driving bans than can be counted), to potentially serious criminal allegations (drunkenly fighting and destruction of property, improper behavior towards women in a nightclub).

Rio Ferdinand was a great servant to Manchester United and England, but his personality and antics over the years have limited most fans’ respect of him. He’ll have to settle for United fans; that is, unless he runs out of topics and decides to go after them next.