6 lesser known facts about the most expensive defender in history: Harry Maguire
After months of intense speculation surrounding Harry Maguire’s transfer to Manchester United, the Red Devils have officially signed him on a six-year deal reportedly worth £85m.
That figure sees Maguire become the most expensive defender of all time, eclipsing the £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil Van Dijk in January 2018, and fans of Manchester United would be hoping that the England international goes on to justify the huge faith shown in him.
Maguire is an extremely technical player, who is adept with the ball at his feet while his imposing frame and height mean that he is a useful asset in both boxes.
He established himself as one of the top English centre-backs with his performances for Hull City and Leicester City over the last four years, and it came as no major surprise when he emerged on the radar of the Red Devils.
In this piece, we shall be presenting six lesser known facts about Manchester United’s newest signing.
#1 Harry is not his first name
His full name is Jacob Harry Maguire, with his Wikipedia page confirming this; evidently he however chose to go by his middle name, much like Joe Hart who has Charles as his first name, but chose to use 'Joe' for Joseph.
#2 He grew up idolizing John Terry and Rio Ferdinand
In the past, Harry Maguire has stated his admiration for John Terry and Rio Ferdinand while he was growing, stating,
‘’The two greatest centre-halves when I was growing up were John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.”
‘’I really looked up to them, especially Rio Ferdinand because he brought the ball out of defense very well. Very comfortable on the ball and he had a bit of everything in his prime; a great centre-half in his time.”
Rio Ferdinand is of course a Manchester United legend, and fans of the club hope the 26-year-old can reach the lofty heights attained by his childhood idols.