- Ferdinand, former Manchester United defender who won 81 England caps (3)

I believe the answer is:

rio

(Other definitions for rio that I've seen before include "A Mexican river, may be grande" , "... Grande, ... de Janeiro" , "- Ferdinand, footballer" , "Location of next Olympic Games, in short" , "place of carnival" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.