Following an illustrious playing career as a centre-back for Manchester United and England, Rio now works as a pundit and presenter. He is a mainstay of the BT Sport punditry team and has also worked with the BBC since 2014, covering the last four major footballing tournaments, including Euro 2020.

Rio won every major domestic honour while playing for Manchester United, making over 300 appearances for the Club. He twice broke the British transfer record for a defender and made over 80 appearances for the England National Side. He was honoured with the permanent England Captaincy in 2010.

In 2018, Rio won a BAFTA for his New Era produced documentary, Being Mum and Dad, which discussed strategies for dealing with bereavement following the untimely death of his wife in 2015. 

Rio established his own Foundation in 1012 to promote opportunities for young people to achieve their potential through participation, personal development, training and engagement with employment pathways. The Foundation has worked in Northern Ireland and Ireland since 2016, and in 2022 extended this work through the Beyond The Ball programme in partnership with the International fund for Ireland to build relationships and youth leadership across eight border counties, and between England and the Island of Ireland.