Nemanja Vidic played with several world-class players during his time at Manchester United.
Manchester United fans have seen some of the best players the Premier League has ever witnessed, especially from Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign as the Red Devils dominated English football.
One of Ferguson’s great sides won the double in 2008, with a defence consisting of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand – a formidable defensive force that was recognised as the best in Europe at the time.
Without solid foundations at the back, Ferguson would not have been able to achieve the Premier League and Champions League, and some still believe that United should have gone all the way in the FA Cup.
Vidic now reflects on his playing days as a retired professional, while recently revealing that he would like to coach United. The Serb has no coaching experience and will need to work on this if he plans on getting the biggest jobs in football.
Vidic is a winner, and he would command respect if allowed to lead a team in the future.
Nemanja Vidic playing against Hull City
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Nemanja Vidic names Man Utd teammates who helped him grow
Vidic struggled for his first six months at Manchester United as he tried to acclimatise to the Premier League.
United fans will be aware of that happening most new signings, though they rarely bounce back and turn their careers around like Vidic managed to.
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Vidic did a quickfire interview with The Overlap this week and revealed which United teammates helped him grow as a player.
The Serb didn’t hesitate when he named Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha. These were all top attacking players, and Vidic prepared himself for the English game by training with those players every day at Carrington.
“I think actually, me improving as a defender as well, part of that is down to Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Louis Saha.”
United once had multiple goalscorers in the squad, but nowadays we’re limited to Bruno Fernandes unless Ruben Amorim can work some magic in the transfer window.
In the same interview, Vidic revealed he had one bust-up with a United teammate in the dressing room and much more.
Vidic names toughest opponent
One of the questions posed to Vidic saw him asked about his toughest opponent.
The former United defender laughed off the idea of it being Fernando Torres, whom he was sent off three times while playing against.
Vidic didn’t think twice about naming Lionel Messi as his toughest opponent.
You can watch Vidic’s response at 01:27 into the interview.
Vidic took on Messi four times in his career, with his only triumph coming in the 2008 Champions League semi-finals, when United kept back-to-back clean sheets before being crowned European champions for a third time.
The Argentine came out on top in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League final as he danced around United’s backline.
Messi scored four goals in six games against United.