TV ad image change for Rio

ENGLAND football star Rio Ferdinand tackles prejudice in these challenging scenes from a new ad campaign.

During the film, set to hit screens this week, the Manchester United defender's face slowly morphs until he appears to have Down's Syndrome.

As the 30-second transformation develops, Ferdinand, who is sitting on a physio bed in a darkened dressing room, asks: "If something happened before I was born, if I was slightly different to how I am now, do you think I'd love football less?

"Do you think I wouldn't want to win? Do you think I'd try less hard to be the best footballer I possibly could be?"

Then, with the computer-generated change complete, he grins at the camera and says: "I don't think so."

Ferdinand, 24, who grew up on a run-down housing estate in South London, said equal opportunities in sport are close to his heart. He told the Sunday Mirror: "We are all entitled to a fair chance in life.

"I know sport can bring people together. It has given me and others the chance to develop ourselves - exactly what the Special Olympics is all about."

Film-makers hope the advert will debut on terrestrial stations in the next few days.

Its release coincides with the launch of the European Football Week, a series of events designed to raise awareness of the Special Olympics.

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