The 27-year-old joined Man U from Spartak Moscow in the year 2006 for a fee that was rumored to be £7million. Apparently, Vidic was the most expensive defender in the history of the Russian Premier League, before he shifted to Man U. Known for his aggressive defending style, he teamed up with Rio Ferdinand to form an impregnable defense for Man U. As a matter of fact, this duo is considered to have formed the best central defensive partnership in the Premier League, with Vidic standing as a solid rock at the back.
As far as Vidic is concerned, he proved his loyalty and commitment to Man U during the 5:0 win against Wigan. He clarified, »I’ve never said anything about Barcelona or Real Madrid or AC Milan – or any club. I never speak about my future so I don’t know why someone else does. I showed at Wigan on the pitch how happy I am at this club. Any fan of United only has to see how I played to know how committed I am.» The ‘someone else’ Vidic referred to is his agent Paolo Fabbri, who claimed that he was considering a move to Barcelona. As of now, Vidic is under a two year contract extension that keeps him at Man U until 2012.
The Serb also forms an integral part of his national team’s famous four defense line-up. Vidic made a strong impact during the Serbia and Montenegro effort to make their way to the 2006 World Cup finals. This year, Serbia tops Group Seven with 18 points from seven matches, putting it ahead of France, Lithuania, Austria and Romania. Earning a place in the 2010 World Cup finals is all the more poignant and special for the Serbians since it would be their first attempt to reach a major tournament as an independent nation. Their World Cup Group Seven qualifier against France on September 9th is being billed as the ‘match of the decade’ in Belgrade, with 55,000 tickets selling out in a couple of hours! The Serbian national team’s coach, Radomir Antic, is ready to take on France with full force on home soil.
Victory against France would ensure Serbia’s berth in next year’s finals in South Africa, if France fails to defeat Romania. During a recent news conference, Coach Antic declared, «We’ve had a great run so far and we want to put the icing on the cake of our qualifying campaign against the French… We need to turn the national euphoria into positive energy on and off the pitch… Our strategy is to win every match and establish ourselves as a force to be reckoned with.» He specially mentioned captain Dejan Stankovic and Nemanja Vidic as key players and recognized Vidic’s role as the backbone of Serbia’s defense.
Looks like we will be seeing a lot of Vidic in action in his Man U soccer shirt and the Serbian national team’s World Cup soccer uniforms! After all, he has a reputation to uphold as one of the top defenders in the world of soccer.