Vidic, was in Sir Alex Ferguson's words 'a dour uncompromising sod'.
There was a time when Manchester United had the meanest defence in the Premier League. In goal, there was Edwin Van Der Sar, the only keeper other than David De Gea who looked like a worthy replacement for Peter Schmeichel. At right-back, there was Gary Neville, club captain and one of the hardest working defenders you will ever meet (and in his absence Brown, O’Shea or Rafael who were all able deputies). At left-back, there was Patrice Evra, an exuberant Frenchman not short on talent, gumption or ambition.
And at the centre of it, there was Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, the best defensive partnership the Premier League has ever seen since besides Bruce and Pallister. Rio and Vidic were like chalk-and-cheese. One a purring Rolls Royce of a defender who would take some time to get going but played with an elegance that simply didn’t exist in English centre-backs. The other was Nemanja Vidic, a Serbian, who seemed to be born without the natural human inclination to avoid danger or injury. It’s hard to think of any defender, who was as brave as Nemanja Vidic.
The Signing of the Decade
On Christmas Day on December 2005, Sir Alex Ferguson signed a defender from Serbia called Nemanja Vidic who barely anyone in England had heard off. Signed for just 7 million GBP, the youngster who lived in the fear of being bombed in erstwhile Yugoslavia. While it did take him (and Patrice Evra) some time to acclimatise in England, by the time they did, Manchester United had the best defence in the league which allowed the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs, Scholes and other attacking players to build on.
It’s fair to say that Vidic and his defensive brethren were as important to United’s perennial success in the late Ferguson years as the breath-taking forward players like Ronaldo and Rooney. The fans did recognise this as they used to sing: “Nemanja oh oh oh, Nemanja oh oh oh, he comes from Serbia, he’s f******** murder ya.” In time, Vidic’s bravery would make him something of a cultural meme as Chuck Norris (or closer home Rajinikanth) jokes were appropriated for him. Stuff like:
- In a 50-50 challenge, Nemanja Vidic would win 150-nil.
- Nemanja Vidic does not “style” his hair. It lays perfectly in place out of sheer terror.
- Nemanja Vidic puts the “laughter” in “manslaughter”.
- Nemanja Vidic once roundhouse kicked Bruce Lee, breaking him in half. The result was Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
- Nemanja Vidic hates The Beatles; two to go.
- Nemanja Vidic crossed the road. Nobody has ever dared question his motives.
- When Nemanja Vidic exercises, the machine gets stronger.
- Nemanja Vidic doesn’t head the ball away, the ball heads the other way.
The Highlight Reel
After settling down, Vidic became the mainstay of the United defence as the club romped to 5 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 2007-08. Some of his top moments include his ‘uncompromising sod-like’ performance in the Champions League final in Moscow where he kept Didier Drogba and co at bay to ensure that United clinched the trophy in the penalty shoot-outs. There was that last-minute goal against Sunderland in the 2008-09 season which tilted the title race in United’s favour, and the sequence of 14 matches or 1311 minutes between Nov 2008 and February 2009 when Manchester United didn’t concede a goal.
Incidentally, Vidic could come up with a goal or two as well, and one of his most memorable strikes was this curling shot from the edge of the area.
The numbers speak for themselves, and Vidic actually has the best winning stats around. Of all the players who’ve played in the Premier League for more than 200 times, Vidic has the best winning record. Manchester United won 70.6% of their matches while Vidic was playing. The others who make up the top 3 is fellow defender Patrice Evra (68.1%) and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba (67.7%).
In fact, he has the second-best Premier League clean-sheet record with 45% with only Arsenal legend Tony Adams having a better record (45.1%)
Vidic also won numerous accolades during his time, winning the Premier Player of the Season twice (only Henry and Ronaldo have achieved that feat), and made the PFA Premier League Team of the Year four times.
What they said
Rio Ferdinand's heartfelt tribute to his brother-in-arms
“My favourite partner to play alongside - YES. He became a defender that was feared, he could fight with the most physical, he crunched into tackles, he attacked the ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen.... but as he will tell you with a smile, he could also play with the ball too, which made him complete & a great defender. Because he was so good in the aggressive/attacking the ball areas people probably looked over his ability with the ball to his annoyance!” (Read: Rio Ferdinand's emotional message for Vidic)
Sir Alex Ferguson speaks about one of his best signings
Vidic was a dour, uncompromising sod. He was a proud Serb. In 2009, he came to see me to say he might be getting called up. 'What do you mean, called up?’ I said, alarmed. ‘Kosovo. I am going,’ he said. ‘It’s my duty.'” "He is a warrior. He is a natural defender. You don’t leave him out unless you are going to rest him.
Paul Scholes on the skinny kid
"Nemanja must have realised quite early on that he was not strong enough to play in the centre of defence at that time, so he did something about it. For the next year, every time I walked past the gym, I would see Nemanja in there lifting weights. He turned himself into a big, strong centre-half who was capable of knocking strikers out of the way."
Ryan Giggs – On the best defender he’s played with
"I can say with certainty that tonight's game provides the opportunity for Old Trafford to say farewell to probably the best defender I have ever played with: Nemanja Vidic. Jaap Stam and Rio Ferdinand fall into the mix as well when I consider that statement, but Nemanja has been an immense player for United for so many years and he has enjoyed great success as well."
Didier Drogba on his toughest opponents (interviewed by Rio Ferdinand)
"I've always said you and Vidic. People say I scored a few goals against Manchester United and I would say when I was scoring against Manchester United I was really, really happy because I didn't score much. So for me to score against you guys means that I had a good game.”
Jamie Carragher reveals how Liverpool missed out on Vidic
“Vidic was my type of defender. Liverpool tried to buy him in January 2006 but our loss was United’s gain. I’d have loved to have played alongside him and I’m sure we could have formed a solid partnership.”
All said and done, Vidic was the leader Manchester United were craving for since Roy Keane departed and one they could use right now. Someone to pull the team up by the scuff of the neck when things are down and remind them what it means to wear the Red shirt. History will remember Vidic not only has one of the Premier League bargains of the century (PSG Paid 50 mil for David Luiz), but also the rock upon which Sir Alex Ferguson built his church. If you want to go to war, you'd want someone like Vidic on your side because you know he wouldn't flinch. It's the kind of leadership that's acutely missing in this Manchester team. Thank you for the memories, Vida.
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