Nemanja Vidić

Early years

Vidić was born to Dragoljub, a now-retired copper factory worker, and Zora, a bank clerk. Vidić took up football at six years of age, alongside his older brother Dušan, with local side Jedinstvo Užice. He progressed quickly, and moved to Sloboda Užice at the age of 12.

Red Star and Spartak Moscow

Two-and-a-half years after signing for Sloboda Užice, before his 15th birthday, Red Star Belgrade signed Vidić to their youth system. He started his senior career on a season-long loan deal at Spartak Subotica in 2000. He moved back to Red Star after the loan deal ended, playing regularly in the top-flight Yugoslav League with coach Zoran Filipović. He won the 2001–02 Yugoslav Cup with Red Star. Vidić quickly gained the captain's armband, and during his three years as captain, he scored 12 goals in 67 matches and ended his Red Star career on a high note by leading the club to a domestic double. He won the 2004 Serbia and Montenegro League and Serbia and Montenegro Cup trophies with Red Star and, in July 2004, he joined Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow. The details of the transfer were not revealed, although it was reported that Vidić became the most expensive defender in the history of the Russian Premier League.

Manchester United

2005–06 season

After playing two seasons for Spartak Moscow, Vidić signed for Manchester United for a fee of around £7 million on 25 December 2005 and joined the club on 5 January 2006 after his…

Serbia and Montenegro

A Yugoslav youth international, Vidić made his senior debut on 12 October 2002 against Italy in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying. Vidić was part of Serbia and Montenegro's "Famous Four" defence, alongside Mladen Krstajić, Ivica Dragutinović and Goran Gavrančić, that conceded just one goal during the ten 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, setting a new record for the fewest goals conceded. Vidić played a major part in the last qualification match, against Bosnia and Herzegovina, in which Serbia and Montenegro won 1–0 and secured qualification. However, Vidić was given a red card five minutes before the end. Vidić missed out on Serbia and Montenegro's opening group stage match against the Netherlands through suspension from his previous red card. On 12 June 2006, he injured his left knee ligament during training, thus did not participate in any games at the 2006 World Cup.

Serbia

After the World Cup, Vidić went on to represent the independent Serbia national team. He was a regular player during 2010 World Cup qualifying when fit, leading Serbia to finish top of their group behind France and Romania, with the best defensive record of all the teams participating in the group. Serbia had less luck at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and came in last place in Group D. In a match against Germany in the Group Stage of the World Cup, Vidić gave away a penalty in the second half while Serbia were leading 1–0. However, Lukas Podolski's kick was…

Described by David Pleat of The Guardian as a "no-nonsense" defender, Vidić has been labelled as a "tough" centre-back, who was known for his physical challenges. He was considered to be one of the world's best centre-backs in his prime due to his defensive consistency and awareness, as well as his strength, leadership, and ability in the air, which made him a goal threat on set pieces. As such, he formed an effective and successful defensive partnership with a more mobile and technical defender such as Rio Ferdinand during their time together at Manchester United. Unlike Ferdinand, however, his playing style focussed primarily on the defensive aspect of the game, rather than attempting to carry the ball forward or play out from the back. He was also praised for his aggressive defensive style by his Manchester United team-mates, and was highly regarded in the media for his on-the-pitch bravery throughout his career. As a consequence, he enjoyed a cult status among the United faithful, and was often compared to former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce, who had similar characteristics. Although primarily a centre-back, Vidić was also capable of playing as a makeshift right-back on occasion, as was the case when he replaced O'Shea in the 2009 League Cup final. Although his preferred role was as part of a central defensive pairing in a back four, he was also capable of playing in a three-man defensive line on occasion. Pace being a major weakness, especially towards the end…

On 17 July 2005, Vidić married Ana Ivanović, an economics student at the University of Belgrade. They have three sons named Luka, Stefan and Petar.