Missing out on final would be failure for Rio
Ferdinand still smarts when he recalls painful memories of the quarter-final defeat at the hands of Brazil, four years ago.
It was his lowest moment in an England shirt and he is determined not to crash out at the same stage again on Saturday.
Ferdinand said: “For me personally anything less than the final will be a disappointment.
“No-one comes here to get to the quarter-final and be content with that.
“Getting to the final of a tournament and being at the last stage, with a chance to pick up the trophy, is the only way I can see it being a successful tournament for us.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team take on Portugal in the quarter-final, in Gelsenkirchen, on Saturday.
The Portuguese, managed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, beat England on penalties at the same stage of Euro 2004.
Scolari was also in charge of Brazil when they beat Eriksson’s men in the World Cup quarter-final, in Japan, four years ago.
Ferdinand missed Euro 2004 because he was banned for not taking a drug test but he played against Brazil in Shizuoka.
Ferdinand said: “That was my most painful moment in an England shirt.
“You sit there, dumbfounded at what’s happened, asking yourself what you could have done better.
“You ask yourself questions after questions, like what could I have done to have stopped that goal going in.
“It was a game where we had an opportunity to go on and win it but it didn’t happen.
“Sometimes I still think about it but in the World Cup you’re thinking more about the next game than what’s happened in the past.
“It spurs us on a little bit but you go out to win every game anyway.
“It’s more about a desire to win and step forward to the next stage of your career.”
Portugal will be without suspended midfielders Deco and Costinha but Ferdinand expects his Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to be one of their main threats.
Ronaldo should be fit despite picking up an injury in Portugal’s stormy victory over Holland, on Sunday.
Ferdinand said: “Cristiano is a fantastic footballer and he’s someone who wants to make an imprint on this World Cup.
“I know him very well and I believe he has the ability to be one of the best players in the world in the next couple of years if he carries on improving.
“His battle with Ashley Cole in the last European Championship was one of the highlights of the tournament for me when I watched it on TV.
“I would envisage another battle of similar quality but Ashley had a fantastic game on Sunday and he’s in the right frame of mind and the right shape physically to deal with somebody like Cristiano.”
England’s other first-choice full-back, Gary Neville, trained with physio Gary Lewin yesterday as the rest of the squad enjoyed a day off.
Neville has missed the last three games with a calf injury and suffered a reaction when he tried to return to training last week.
Eriksson hopes to have him fit for the Portugal game as England look to finally find a decent display to go with their winning habit.
Ferdinand said: “Portugal are a very good side so we’re going to have to play a better game against them.
“When we played them in the last championships it was very tough and I reckon it will be similar to that.
“People are harping on about performances but if we win every game 1-0 and don’t play particularly well that will not be remembered. Our names will be on the trophy.”
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