THEY say you should never meet your heroes.

On a cold Monday night in the Amex stadium car park, I met one of mine.

As I was preparing for the behind-the-scenes tour of BT Sport’s coverage for the Albion v Crystal Palace match, I heard the deep voice of ex-Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand approaching.

It was a “pinch yourself” kind of moment as the towering figure of the former England captain strolled around the media area recording himself live to his 2.6 million followers, informing them of his duties for the evening.

But before I got the chance to greet one of my idols, it was Rio greeting me.

“Harry Styles is in the building,” he joked while recording, snapping me into his Instagram story, then he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

I thought I had escaped my nickname for one night only – I get enough of it back at The Argus office on a daily basis.

But the banter, and his entire demeanour, was everything I expected from one of the men I idolised throughout my boyhood years as a passionate Manchester United fan (sorry, Albion readers).

Rio’s buoyant character, which has been evident in his interviews as a player and his attitude in front of cameras as a pundit, was on show on Monday night when I was face to face with him.

He was loud, humorous and demanded to be the centre of attention merely through his persona, not ego. These are just the traits you expect from a former elite footballer who spent more than a decade at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

It was exactly how I imagined him to be in person, not always the experience people get when meeting their idols, as the saying goes.

The 39-year-old was the life of the party at the Amex, dishing out the jokes in the same spirit he displayed as a player in his 12-year career as a centre-back at United.

While shooting the draw for the FA Cup fourth round, he was putting smiles on the faces of his colleagues with his sheer tomfoolery as he pulled teams from the draw.

Rio’s humour even drew a couple of smirks from the impeccably professional Jake Humphrey, who was presenting the draw.

Alongside him for the show was Chelsea legend Dennis Wise, who was equally as tickled as Humphrey by Rio’s effortless antics.

Before the draw, me and other press members got the chance to have a quick chat with him before he went on air.

As I entered the lounge where he was seated, I (or, probably, my long, girlish hair) captured Rio’s vision once again.

“Harry Styles!” he shouted once more.

This observation, shared by many of The Argus’s staff, made me contemplate whether this was actually Rio meeting his hero rather than the other way around.

While answering questions, though, the super star was sincere and intelligent in his responses.

He gave well-educated answers when talking about the use of technology in modern football, particularly the use of VAR (video assistant referee) for the first time at the Amex.

Rio was also respectable and welcoming towards the press, happy to talk until he was rushed out to shoot footage for the match.

He also had a word with some of the audience and prompted the loudest noises from them during the draw when he pitted United against minnows Yeovil Town.

After Wise pulled Yeovil, Rio urged himself to get a big name for the League Two side.

Lo and behold, he picked his old side to travel to the Somerset town – and the small crowd roared and chuckled after the draw.

Rio, from my limited experience, is a top guy and was an incredible footballer.

So, after meeting one of my heroes, I can tell you it is not as daunting as it is made out to be. It just leaves us wondering how Rio felt when he met Harry Styles. Sorry to disappoint, but that was me.

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