London, Oct. 18 England football great David Beckham believes defender Rio Ferdinand is "as close to perfect as you can get".

Beckham, who is keen to back Ferdinand, whose place as an automatic starter has come under increasing scrutiny, said: "Mistakes happen in games. You all make mistakes and nobody is perfect. But Rio is as close to perfect as you can get. John Terry and him at the back are exceptional players."

The News of The World quoted Beckham, as saying: "Rio's a tough player - mentally and physically. At Manchester United, he's got a manager looking after him and the fans will do their part, too. You do go through criticism but there's no way Rio's going to crumble under any criticism." (ANI)