Rooney was devastated after facing two-match ban for his TV camera rant at Upton Park last Saturday.
Ferdinand said: “His performance against Chelsea shows you what sort of talent he is as a footballer. It’s something this country should cherish. Unbelievable.
“I’m sure there is some support for him but there''s more against him. More people want to string him up.”
“I think with the last few days he''s had, for him to go out and perform as he did against Chelsea was great. That’s what he loves doing, that’s what he wants to do. It would be nice to see him on the back pages about his football,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.
“I mean, he scored a hat-trick on Saturday and you wouldn''t even know that because of what happened. People get themselves into scrapes throughout their career — no one''s perfect. He will be disappointed about what''s going on but Wayne Rooney is a first-class footballer,” Ferdinand said.
Straight after the game on Wednesday against Chelsea, Ferdinand had hit out at the attention being lavished on Rooney''s misdemeanour.