Many fiery debates have started recently via Twitter and yesterday morning, Rio Ferdinand sparked one just by uploading an image of three cups of tea.

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"This is how me + the lil men start the day, a cup of tea or coffee in our own cups!! Glad to be back!" Rio tweeted, along with the image.

One user replied to the image tweeting, "@rioferdy5 your kids drink tea :o ?" whilst another tweeted, "you know caffeine is dangerous to under 10's?"

On the other hand, some twitter fans of Rio didn't flutter, tweeting things like "u make a brew like my dad! #halfacup fill it up son" or "well cute x".

Rio has three children: two boys, Lorenz and Tate (who were 5 and 3 when Rio tweeted this pic), and a daughter Tia with late wife Rebecca Ellison, who very sadly died from cancer on 1 May 2015.

While adults can rely on tea and coffee for energy, the caffeine in them, and in soft drinks, is unsuitable for young children because it can inhibit absorption of iron - as well as raise their energy levels.

Too much caffeine can cause nervousness, difficulty sleeping, headaches and upset stomachs for both adults and children, according to Kids Health, although there are no UK guidelines yet on how much is too much.

Also, medical experts announced back in February that common energy drinks, with high levels of caffeine, could cause "seizures, mania, stroke and sudden death," with a serious warning that they were dangerous for under 16s.

But how do we know the footballer wasn't serving his boys decaffeinated tea?

Rio is certainly a hands-on dad when it comes to looking after his three kids, especially when his daughter was a newborn.

"Late feed done, now for the burping/winding technique! 1 handed Wax on wax off technique is the one!" he tweeted soon after she was born.

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