The final flowering of Rio is a warning to the world

So much of worth returned south with the England team yesterday that to pick out one individual is to ridicule the excellence of the rest. But if there was a dominant image of the Sapporo Dome, it reflected off the gleaming head of Rio Ferdinand, who at last confirmed to the whole country what those at Leeds United have been telling us for years.

One of Ferdinand's most recognisable virtues is his humility. But, standing in the concrete hallway beneath the stadium late on Friday night, the Argentinian players filing silently and sullenly out behind him, Ferdinand accepted the compliments for his performance with unusual ease. His best in an England shirt?

"You dream about playing against the best players in the world all your life, then you dream about playing well against them. The bigger the game, the better you want to play. It enhances your reputation if you can come through those big games under pressure. It was very hard, those last 20 minutes, and the guys were pretty tired, But it was worth it, wasn't it?"

Worth the wait to see the final flowering of Rio, to watch at international level the sort of luxurious, athletic command displayed so consistently in the Premier League. There were others worthy of attention. Nicky Butt, who showed a maturity and a vision largely unseen in the colours of Manchester United. Or Paul Scholes, at last refinding his true England form, volleying passes 40 yards, tackling with venom and responsibility in the areas which mattered. Michael Owen, the inter-com with St Etienne 1998, his boyish face a constant taunt to the machismo of the rugged Argentinian defence. Or even Trevor Sinclair, pitched into the biggest game of his life without a thought, yet prepared to complement Owen's pace with some driving runs of his own. Sol Campbell lost little in comparison with his fellow centre-back.

But it was Ferdinand who caught the eye, not least because, in a tournament full of fluid football, the art of decent defending is in danger of being lost. For much of England's 1-0 victory over Argentina, Ferdinand and the ball seemed to enjoy the benefit of some mystical arrangement, an understanding into which the Argentinian forwards seemed inexorably drawn. Time and again, the cross would arrow in to the penalty area only to be met with the firm response of a centre-back completely at ease in his office.

In time, Ferdinand might recall the sense of control, put into words what the whole stadium saw. But, for the moment, the explanation is couched in emotional, not rational, language. "We knew we had to dig deep," Ferdinand explained. "We had the bit between our teeth because there was so much history riding on the result. Even the younger players, those who were not there in 1998, could see how much it meant from watching the senior players. It's been four years but, now that we've got the victory, we're not the type of team to celebrate and mock as they did four years ago. It's just sweet to win."

There can be no division between Ferdinand the man and Ferdinand the player. The decision to move away from home and move north was a calculated risk, but it moved the volatile and impressionable London lad into the realms of the serious professionals. Only away from London could Ferdinand understand exactly how far he had come from his upbringing on a housing estate in Peckham, when football was the one release from poverty. Ferdinand's new-found sense of social responsibility first surfaced in the aftermath of Damilola Taylor's murder.

Ferdinand knew the territory, recognised the mirror image of himself in the sense of dispossession and, as one who made his way out, spoke up about the need for regeneration, of property and values. In its way, the understanding that an athlete as good as Ferdinand could emerge from such unpromising territory subconsciously helped in some little way to balance the desperation. But the best thing was that Ferdinand sensed the importance of it too.

At Leeds, O'Leary made him captain, quite an honour for a new boy still in his early twenties. But Ferdinand has never once seemed out of place in the role, either on or off the pitch. A visit to the thriving community education office at United confirms his status as one of the most conscientious and popular members of the playing staff. If there is a chore to be done, a ball to be signed, a shirt to be handed out, Rio is usually the first in line.

"We have always known that Rio was a great player," said Danny Mills. "But I believe he can become one of the very greats and this is a fantastic stage for him to show what he can do. Hopefully, we can go further in the tournament so he can get to show just what a great player he can be." Even the Argentinian strikers, Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo, did their best to acknowledge the presence of a superior force in the England penalty box.

"England defended so well," Crespo said. "They closed down our space so well."

Batistuta's appraisal was less charitable. "If England had played a little bit more in the second half, maybe we could have played a little bit more. But they crowded the area and it was difficult to find a way through." So, boring, boring England it is, then.

Before the tournament, Ferdinand had talked of his recurring dream. In it, he is lifting the World Cup, a winner's medal hanging from his neck. In France 1998, Ferdinand was one of those who went along for the experience. A few might have made rather more use of his particular qualities in that campaign, but Glenn Hoddle at least had one eye on the future.

But what concerns Ferdinand, the insecurity which surfaces in the dream, is that, at the age of 24, he has yet to win anything of note in his career. His potted biography in the Fifa computer says: "The defender was a member of the South-East Counties League championship team of 1996." The same year he picked up a runners-up medal in the FA Youth Cup with West Ham. Michael Owen has the winner's medal.

"I've won nothing," Ferdinand said. "I've not even been in a final for anyone, so the World Cup would be a great place to start."

There is some distance between Ferdinand and his dream at present. England's tactically astute subduing of the Argentinians in one sense just added to the confusion of the brutish draw with Sweden. Key personnel are coming back on stream, Ferdinand points out, and the whole squad have been working on organisation and tactical discipline.

"We didn't have any shape in the second half against Sweden and that's what we've been working on," he says. "Being more compact, staying hard to break down. We know that if we just keep our shape and play as a team, rather than as individuals, then we are in with a chance."