Profile: Nemanja Vidic (original) (raw)

In this age of celebrity weddings and paparazzi hunts, the union between Serbia's best footballer and a refugee from Kosovo who had been studying economics at Belgrade University promised a spectacle for the gossip columns in the Balkans. They were disappointed. Last summer, Nemanja Vidic married his sweetheart, Ana, at a modest restaurant in the Zlatibor mountains close to his home town, in front of close family and friends.

Vidic is evidently not Serbia's answer to David Beckham. Although he was one of the first people in Belgrade to own two mobile phones, the high life has taken Vidic by surprise. When he arrived at Old Trafford at the beginning of 2006 and was invited to a team-mate's birthday party, he had to ask what a dress code was. Such formality was alien to him.

Adjusting to life as a Manchester United player, with the extreme attention and expectation that entails, has been a voyage of discovery for Vidic. The process of reprogramming himself to drive on the left, develop a taste for tea with milk and understand a Glaswegian accent was as challenging and exciting as learning to absorb the combative nature of Premiership football. Vidic has put in the hours and the results are outstanding.

The £7.2m purchase of the central defender from Spartak Moscow in January came at a turbulent time, when Roy Keane had just left, Sir Alex Ferguson's judgment was being heatedly debated and Malcolm Glazer's opponents were in full voice. The deal was not sufficient to quell unrest among United fans. Nine months later, they voted Vidic their player of the month.

It has not gone unnoticed that it has taken the best part of five years to find a defender robust, uncompromising and gritty enough to fill the hole left when Jaap Stam was summarily ousted from Old Trafford. Now that Vidic has bedded in, he is inspiring nostalgic comparisons with the days when Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister underpinned the pedestal that was decorated with so much silverware. As Ferguson likes to say, 'good defenders win you trophies'.

The 25-year-old has not only made himself look good, he has also made Rio Ferdinand look better because of his ability to tidy up those lapses of concentration that have been known to afflict the Englishman. The most pertinent defensive question for United might no longer be who partners Ferdinand as who partners Vidic.

'We've done well there,' said Ferguson. 'He has that mentality of the proper, really authentic defender. Watch Vidic in training, and he'll batter Louis Saha and then pick him up, as if to say, "This is my job, this is what I do." I'll be yelling from the touchline, "Watch the tackling, watch the tackling," and Vidic will shout, "Sorry boss, sorry boss." But he's not sorry at all, he just loves defending.'

Vidic was born into a working...#8209;class family in Uzice, a town with a population smaller than the capacity of Old Trafford, in the west of Serbia. His father, Dragoljub, worked in the copper factory and his mother, Zora, was a bank clerk. Their sons enjoyed football and Nemanja's potential was noticed by Red Star Belgrade at the age of 14.

Four years later he was sent on a season-long loan to Spartak Subotica and accepted the move on the basis that Red Star bought him a pair of boots to use now that he would be playing professional matches. He returned to become a hero of Red Star. He was their cornerstone and captained them to the double in 2004. It was a particularly poignant moment because Vidic played not only for himself, but for his best friend in football, Vladimir Dimitrijevic, who died on the pitch of a heart attack at the age of 20.

'We were inseparable,' said Vidic. 'We dreamt the same dreams, wanted to touch the sky with Red Star, but unfortunately Vlada is not with us any more. When I play, I think about my friend and I will do everything I can to save his memory.'

Vidic became even more serious about his football, so when he moved to Spartak Moscow he eschewed the traditional pastimes enjoyed by foreign footballers in the Russian capital. He appears to enjoy nightclubbing as much as couture shopping.

His ability to knuckle down helped him during his early months in Manchester. 'The start was hard for me,' he said. 'I arrived having not trained for 40 days because in Russia the season was finished. Also, injuries caused problems for me - these were difficult days and months. But I learnt so much.'

He feels indebted to Ferguson for looking out for him during that test. 'Every day for each of us he sets aside a minute or two, to talk and ask if everything is OK, how it is at home, if we need any help. His advice helped me very much.

'He was patient to wait for me to improve while I was a bit unstable in the first team. He was saying to me, "Don't be upset, take it easy, everything will be OK." He was like a father to me and I want to repay him.'

He had to get over a disastrous World Cup first. A training ground collision with former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman ended his tournament before it began. 'At the moment of injury, when I fell on the grass and screamed, lots of things came through my mind,' said Vidic. 'Sincerely, I had a feeling that my leg had been cut off. Nevertheless, I am sure I will have more chances to be part of a World Cup. This is the thing that gave me strength and made me not despair.'

The outlook has appeared increasingly rosy since then. Serbia - now without Montenegro - are in good shape in their Euro 2008 qualifying group, United are top of the Premiership and Vidic is a permanent fixture for club and country. He is aiming high. 'Nobody set any goals in front of us, that we have to win the Champions League and the Premiership. But we are all aware that we play in one of the best clubs in the world, that half of the world is watching us on TV and that our success is measured by trophies. We are on the right path and it is a golden feeling.'

Portsmouth captain Dejan Stefanovic, who played alongside Vidic in the national team, is expecting big things from his compatriot. 'He is not scared and that is a very important thing,' said Stefanovic. 'He will go in every challenge for the long balls and he can play football as well. Believe me, he can be even better and people will see that. He is a young lad and he is a good character. He is the sort of player who can score goals as well and he will be a big success for Man United.'

Vidic has scored two goals this season and the potential for more, such is his power at set pieces, is a welcome addition considering that United are short of strikers. All in all, Vidic's influence is not good news for Mikael Silvestre, Wes Brown and John O'Shea, none of whom has handled the legacy of Bruce, Pallister and Stam with enough long-term conviction.

Vidic has a history of being injury...#8209;prone and suffering back problems. According to a story that did the rounds in Serbia, it stems from a webbed foot that welds together two of his toes.

Will a pedicure help? Any special boots available? Can he stay fit? Advice given to Serbia's new coach, Javier Clemente, from one of the old staff, Goran Stevanovic, might help. 'Clemente should go to church and light a candle every morning praying for the health of Nemanja Vidic,' he said. Some people in Manchester might consider doing the same.