Nemanja Vidic names Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha as the Manchester United teammates who helped him grow
Manchester United have always experienced moments of glory thanks to players who have left their mark both on and off the pitch. Over the years, legends with strong character and total commitment led the club to the top in England and Europe. Among them, Nemanja Vidic became a mainstay in defence, remembered for his clean-cut aggression and unwavering commitment. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand armoured the team at a time when Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and other names shone with goals and pure magic. It is no surprise that to this day, fans still cherish those times with nostalgia.
This week, Vidic was interviewed by his former teammate Gary Neville in a chat published on TBR Football. During the conversation, Neville asked him quick questions about his career and key moments as a Red Devil. When it came to answering about the best player he shared a dressing room with, Vidic didn’t hesitate for a second: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo,’ the Serbian said with total conviction.
He added mentions of respect for Rooney and Louis Saha, acknowledging that training against them helped him grow as a defender. For Vidic, facing these strikers at Carrington was about bettering himself day in and day out.
Why do you think Nemanja Vidic chose Cristiano Ronaldo as his best teammate without hesitation?
“I think actually, me improving as a defender as well, part of that is down to Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Louis Saha.”
Opinion:
His choice makes sense. Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford with boundless talent, but it was in Manchester that he forged himself into one of the most complete players in the world. Vidic, a centre-back with an instinct to anticipate and cut inside, benefited from facing CR7 in every training session. The physical and technical demands of marking a player as unpredictable as Ronaldo strengthened his reading of the game. We understand why the 43-year-old didn’t hesitate. Ronaldo possessed speed, dribbling, shooting power and a winning mentality that was infectious. Vidic could not have had a better sparring partner to polish his mettle.
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As for Rooney and Saha, we agree with Vidic that they brought unique challenges. Rooney was pure energy, with controlled aggression and a lethal shot from any angle. Saha, on the other hand, offered mobility, changes of pace and a quiet technique that made life difficult for any centre-back. Not everyone will point to Saha as a key player, but those who were in that squad know what he meant. It takes courage to recognise that training was harder than many official matches. That’s to United’s credit at that stage: the internal competition bordered on European finals levels.
The trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Saha embodied the perfect attack. Vidic grew up surrounded by them, day in, day out. Every missed mark taught him a new lesson. Every dribble he received forced him to anticipate better. That is why his development was so rapid. Today, when you look back on those golden years, you understand that Vidic’s greatness was not only forged on Sundays.
It was forged on rainy mornings in Manchester, marking three goal-hungry beasts. That United was pure fire because within the group, they pushed each other to give more, without respite. Vidic, a warrior in the box, had in those strikers the architects of his legend. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney earlier broke his silence on the Manchester United transfer decision that did not please him