Every tricky traverse in mountain, stream or forest needed doing twice over: once to find a way for himself, then to collect thesteed, often carrying it shoulder-high through sharp palmetto, or water, or rocks.
Ferdinand looked to have sealed it when he calmly sidefooted a loose ball into the bottom corner after a cross from the third former Tottenham player in the Sunderland starting line-up, the influential Steed Malbranque, caused yet more problems.