For so long, Manchester United dominated English football. Clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea had their moments, but with 13 Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils were unmatched in that particular era.
No team in football can succeed without a certain level of intensity and seriousness behind the scenes. Ferguson is known for being a rather intimidating figure, fabled for his hairdryer treatment, and it seems as though that perhaps rubbed off on some of his players.
Roy Keane was perhaps his most famous captain, and certainly had his share of hot-headed incidents – just ask Alfie Haaland – but two other club legends had a period where they fell out with each other. Indeed, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic hated each other so badly for a period, Ferguson even had to tweak his starting XI to keep them separated.
Evra Did Not Speak to Vidic For Three Months
"We played together and we didn’t even say a word"
Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra talks as Manchester United subs
There was a period where that back four with Evra and Gary Neville as the fullbacks, and Vidic with Rio Ferdinand as the centre-backs, was the most formidable defence in the Premier League. It turns out, though, all was not necessarily well behind the scenes.
Speaking in a Q&A in 2021, Evra revealed that he once had such a falling out with Vidic, they didn't speak for three months. He confessed that things got to bad, Ferguson had to move Rio Ferdinand to play on the left side of defence to keep them separated:
"To be honest, we also fought. We had a fight – me and him – and didn’t speak for three months. We played together and we didn’t even say a word. I never told him to go left or go right. He was the same. Ferguson had to swap Rio Ferdinand to play on the left side with me!
"It was like that for three months until, after a game, I remember he came to me in the dressing room and gave me a high-five. Everyone was like 'finally' because we were best friends together, Vida and me. We have a deep story together.
"I love him so much. We struggled but we were really real, me and him. If we were doing something wrong, we’d argue but, in the same way, it was a really great relationship."
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Ferdinand Revealed Issues Carried on After Ferguson Retired
"Nemanja's head flipped"
Fellow legendary defender Ferdinand confirmed the animosity between the pair when speaking on his YouTube channel. He revealed that tension actually carried on even into the David Moyes' era after Ferguson retired in 2013:
"They didn't not get on, but Nemanja wanted more from him (Evra), cause he's having to do too much. But Patrice would think, 'You can deal with that!'
"I think both have got an element of being right. But we had a meeting with Moyes about something. Nemanja was going, 'I don't agree with that', with David Moyes."
"Then, you know what Patrice is like, he was like 'Oh come on guys, we're gonna be here all this time', bro, Nemanja's head flipped!
"He was like 'Don't you dare start talking like that when we are just sorting stuff out and we're struggling at the moment with the new manager' and they had to be pulled apart."
Of course, Vidic and Evra aren't the first famous United duo who didn't get on. George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton grew to hate each other for a long period, while Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham weren't on speaking terms at Old Trafford.
It just goes to show, you don't have to be friends with your teammates in football, just so long as you can stay professional when stepping onto the pitch.