Rio Ferdinand insists West Ham United will always hold a special place in his heart and he is looking forward to seeing the Hammers make their big move into the new Stadium during the summer.
Ferdinand made an emotional return to east London this week as he made his first appearance on the Boleyn Ground pitch for a number of years to celebrate a memorable day for Mark Noble's Testimonial.
The former England star will never forget his progression through the Club's Academy as a teenager and making his professional debut for the Hammers as a 17-year-old against Sheffield Wednesday.
Ferdinand went on to make 158 appearances during an impressive four-year-spell and always keeps a close eye on how the Hammers are performing.
With the Hammers preparing for a historic move at the end of the season, the former Manchester United defender says he cannot wait to see how the Club will perform when they play in the new 60,000 stadium next season.
Ferdinand said: “It was great to be back on the pitch again. This stadium holds great memories for me and this club will always be in my heart. I cannot wait to go to the new Stadium now.
“The Boleyn Ground is fantastic and I am an Academy product and it will always be in my system.
“But you have to understand that time is moving on and you have to move with those times.”
Ferdinand was thrilled to play his part in a memorable day for Mark Noble this week and says he deserves all the attention after being such an important player for the Hammers over the last 12 years.
With Noble hoping to cap an impressive season by steering West Ham to the FA Cup Final this season, Ferdinand will have mixed loyalties when his two former clubs go head-to-head in the big quarter final replay at the Boleyn Ground on April 13.
Ferdinand added: “It used to be quite simple before because Manchester United were always going for trophies and I would always want them to win when I got there.
“But now the two clubs are fighting for the same position so I will probably have to sit on the fence a little bit!”