Nemanja Vidic: A Formidable Defensive Force

Just how good was Nemanja Vidic? Was he truly one of the greatest defenders of all time? Five Premier League titles, three League Cups, a Champions League trophy, and four times named in the PFA Team of the Year. It's easy to see why he is regarded as one of Manchester United's best defenders.

In this article, we'll take a deep dive into the career of Vidic and what made him such a formidable defensive force. We'll look at his early years, his playing style, and how he compares to current active players.

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Early Life

Vidic was born in the former Yugoslav town of Uzice. Vidic signed for Red Star Belgrade, dubbed the "Serbian Manchester United" at the age of 14 after impressing for his local team and establishing a strong reputation in the youth ranks.

He spent four years in the Red Star academy before being loaned out to Spartak Subotica for one season in order to gain first-team experience. VIdic performances were impressive, making 27 appearances and scoring 6 goals before returning to Red Star, where his career really took off.

Everything was going well for Vidic until his best friend and teammate Vladamir Dimitrijevic collapsed and died in front of him during a training session on October 1st, 2001. The two had met in the youth system and had often expressed their desire to play for both the first team and the Serbian national team together. 

Vidic became an integral part of Red Star's backline after nearly quitting football and overcoming the pain of losing his best friend. In his first full season with Red Star, he helped them win the Yugoslav Cup in 2001/02.

Vidi quickly earned the captain's armband, and during his three years as captain, he scored 12 goals in 67 games and led Red Star to a domestic double.

His performances earned him an international call-up, and he made his debut for Serbia and Montenegro against Italy in a Euro 2004 qualifier on October 12, 2002. 

Vidic moved to Spartak Moscow in 2004 making him the most expensive defender in Russian Premier League history at the time. After only two seasons in Moscow, Vidi signed for Manchester United for a fee of around £7 million on December 25, 2005, beating their bitter rivals Liverpool for his signature and hijacking the deal from Italian side Fiorentina.

First season at Manchester United

At first, Vidic struggled to adjust to life in England and the high intensity of the Premier League. He was out of form in his first few games at United and was dropped after a poor performance in a 4-3 defeat to Blackburn at Ewood Park.

But a month later, he tasted success coming off the bench in United's League Cup victory over Wigan in what would be the club's only trophy of the 2005/06 season. Vidic received a medal for his appearance in the final, but later gave it to teammate Giuseppe Rossi in recognition of Rossi's contributions in the competition's earlier rounds.

Vidic was injured for the first six games of the 2006/07 season, but when he returned, he immediately formed an impressive partnership with Rio Ferdinand. With the defence looking more assured than it had in years, United held off Chelsea's challenge and won the Premier League title for the first time in four years in Vidic's first full season, narrowly missing out on a double as a Didier Drogba strike won Chelsea the FA Cup title at the new Wembley stadium.

Partnership with Rio Ferdinand

The pairing of Vidic and Rio Ferdinand is regarded as one of the best defensive partnerships in Premier League history. They played alongside each other for seven and a half seasons at Manchester United Between 2006 and 2014. Ferdinand and Vidic started together in 187 games, winning 123, drawing 35 and losing 29. Throughout all of this, they managed to keep 91 clean sheets.

Vidic and Ferdinand were an excellent match. The Serbian was an aggressive defender who was always looking for the first ball, he had a physical presence and was brilliant in one-on-one situations that made him extremely difficult to beat.

Ferdinand was a Rolls Royce of a player, lightning quick at his peak, at ease in possession, he wasn’t your typical centre back produced in England at the time.

The pair's defensive partnership was the foundation of United's massively successful period. With Edwin van der Sar behind them, Gary Neville to the right, and Patrice Evra to the left, the team's rock-solid foundations allowed the creative talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez to flourish.

Better than van Dijk?

A recent debate blew up online with Liverpool ex-defender Jamie Carragher stating that Virgil van Dijk is better than Vidic; is Carragher correct? Let's take a look at the numbers.

For this comparison, we'll look at both players' best seasons for their respective clubs. Van Dijk's 2018/19 season versus Vidic's 2008/09 campaign. When comparing their best seasons, Nemanja Vidic beats van Dijk in the Premier League in most categories, according to data.

Vidic did have one partner alongside him at centre back for most of his games. Whereas van Dijk hasn't been afforded that kind of stability.

However, it is too soon to draw a fair conclusion. With Van Dijk still an active player and has only had one or two seasons where he could be considered elite, whereas Vidic was at the pinnacle of his game for a decade.

This would undoubtedly be an interesting debate to have when van Dijk's career comes to an end. But, until then, Vidic clearly wins. Of course, this is subjective, so let us know in the comments who you think is better.

Manchester United Career

Vidic had his best season for Manchester United in 2007/08, when they went the distance to complete a famous Premier League and Champions League double, defeating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Vidic was named man of the match for his performance. Vidic played 45 games that season, scoring one goal. He was now an integral part of the United team and regarded as one of Europe's best centre halves.

Adding the World Club Cup medal to his collection, Vidic continued to perform consistently at the heart of the side, playing in all 14 of the record breaking consecutive clean sheets that they kept in the league on route to a third successive title in the 2008–09 season. The club narrowly missed out on retaining the Champions League trophy after being defeated 2-0 by Barcelona in Rome's Olympic Stadium.

Vidic was eventually selected as the new team captain of Manchester United at the start of the 2010–11 season and ran over the course of four seasons

On 7th February 2014, Vidić announced that he would be leaving Manchester United at the end of the 2013–14 season when his contract expires. Vidić stated: "I'm not considering staying in England as the only club I ever wanted to play for here is Manchester United".

After a period of eight years in Manchester, Vidić joined Serie A club Inter Milan on a free transfer. Vidić mainly featured as a rotational player for two seasons, eventually agreeing to an early termination of his contract on 18th January 2016, Vidić then announced his retirement just under two weeks later.

Premier League Stats

Overall, it's easy to see why Vidic is considered one of the best Premier League centre backs of all time. 

Vidic appeared in 211 Premier League games, winning 149 and losing only 27. Keeping 95 clean sheets, completing 75% of tackles, and winning 73% of aerial battles. Vidic received 8 red cards throughout his career. And quite fittingly, four of them were against Liverpool. Nemanja Vidic will be remembered as a United legend.