Manchester United's ferocious Serbian centre-back, voted Premier League Player of the Season twice and feared by every striker.
Nemanja Vidic was born in Titovo Uzice, Yugoslavia in 1981. He played for Red Star Belgrade and Spartak Moscow before Manchester United paid £7 million in January 2006. His eight and a half seasons at Old Trafford produced 300 appearances and five Premier League titles (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013), the Champions League in 2008, three League Cups and the FA Cup. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand was the foundation of United's dominance. Physically imposing, ferocious in the tackle and exceptional in the air, he won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice (2009, 2011) and was selected for the PFA Team of the Year six times. He was voted the Premier League's best defender of the decade (2000-2010) in a PFA poll. He captained Manchester United from 2010 following Gary Neville's retirement. His commitment was extraordinary — he played on with a broken arm on at least one occasion. He moved to Inter Milan in 2014 but injuries limited his appearances and he retired in 2016. He earned 56 Serbia caps. His uncompromising defending and aerial dominance, combined with an intelligent reading of the game, placed him among the finest centre-backs in Premier League history.
Champions League 2008
Career Honours
- Champions League 2008
- Premier League 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
- FA Cup 2004
- League Cup 2006, 2009, 2010
- PFA Players' Player of Year 2009, 2011