‘Fragile ego’ – Chelsea legend John Terry and Man Utd icon Rio Ferdinand in Twitter feud over best defender list snub

JOHN TERRY and Rio Ferdinand have both accused each other of having 'fragile egos' in an ugly row between the Premier League legends.

The spat was sparked after Manchester United icon Ferdinand only labelled Terry as the fifth-best centre-back in Premier League history.

The Chelsea icon, regarded by many as one of the greatest defenders in the Prem era, fired back "stats don't lie" - and it didn't stop there.

The row started when Ferdinand put THREE Manchester United centre-backs ahead of old England colleague Terry, including himself.

The Old Trafford hero was debating the best central defenders of the Prem era with Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk for .

And Ferdinand put himself in top spot, followed by team-mate Nemanja Vidic, Van Dijk at third, Jaap Stam fourth and Terry fifth.

Stamford Bridge stalwart Terry clearly didn't agree.

Taking to his story Terry posted a picture that contained a variety of stats to back him up.

They included captains with most Prem titles and centre-backs with the highest winning percentage in Prem history.

Both of which were topped by Terry, who captioned the post "opinions are great but the stats don't lie".

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Another stat showed Terry's multiple inclusion in the Fifa World XI and another of him on the list of the highest-scoring defenders of all-time.

In response to Terry's Instagram post, Ferdinand turned to Twitter, telling his ex-England colleague to address his "fragile ego" and saying he was lucky to even be included at all.

He said: "@JohnTerry26 The moment one has to start pushing their own records and stats it’s really time to start addressing the fragile ego.

"Your lucky I even put you in the top 5 after the racism case with my brother so be thankful you made it."

Terry wasted little time, firing back: "A fragile Ego is putting yourself at Number 1 @rioferdy5 Thanks for putting me in your top 5."

The original interview that sparked the exchange actually saw Ferdinand heaping praise on Terry.

He said of the Chelsea legend: "In terms of his longevity at that club, what they won, body on the line, a much better footballer than people give him credit for, could play off his left and right foot."