Nemanja Vidic: The Great Wall of Manchester

Somewhere in the streets of a little known town of Užice in Serbia, a child with grit in his mind, strength in his shoulders and dreams in his eyes, used to hassle and harass wannabe strikers and wingers on his own. Who could have imagined that this little boy would one day go on to establish himself as one of the greatest defenders of the beautiful game? Nemanja Vidic, who turned 30 today, is widely regarded as the most proficient and talented central defender in the world of football. We wish him a very happy birthday and pay tribute to the Serbian Wall for his undying services to Manchester United.

In times when defenders have never been able to attract their fair share of plaudits, accolades and even appreciation for whatever they do on the football field, Vidic has stood like a wall against the storm and helped defenders garner some much deserved attention and applause. Fans idolize goal scorers, dribblers, playmakers and wing wizards with the Messis and Ronaldos enjoying a heavenly stature in the hearts of many fans. Every young footballer wants to score goals, wants to be in the limelight, they all hate to stay back in their own half, they just hate to defend.

Defenders like Vidic put their bodies at stake, diving, jumping and flying around to sniff out any kind of danger posed by the opponents. If they have a routine day at work, people term it as another day in the office, if they have a splendid outing, they receive a warm round of applause on their way to the tunnel. But, one bad day out- a penalty conceded, a bad tackle or a sending off, and they are immediately put to the sword, hands tied behind their backs and the poor souls have to spend the next few days tucked up in a small corner of their cribs.

A tough guy not scared of putting himself on the line

When defenders play well, nobody gives a damn, and when they don’t, everybody has a mouthful to suggest. And that is exactly why defenders deserve every bit of recognition that their offensive counterparts receive. That is why we admire the Serb, he takes pride in defending and takes his job very personally. The centre-back position at Old Trafford occupies a significant chunk of his heart and day-in and day-out he performs his duties like a true champion and a Red Devil at heart.

As someone rightly said, you can hide a player in offense, but you can’t hide a player in defense, which makes the job of a defender that much more important and nerve-racking. They know that the whole world will have their eyes on them, waiting for you to commit an error they can pounce upon to inflict truckloads of criticism and disapproval. But Vidic, being the personality he is, doesn’t really care. He steps onto the field with only one mission in mind, to stop his rivals from finding the back of the net. And he does it with élan, throwing his body around, putting in last-ditch tackles and above everything, putting his body on the line.

The Terrific Tackler: Always at the right place at the right time

What baffles and astounds me is his mentality of defending being the most important job on the pitch. May be that’s what makes him stands out among other great defenders. Vidic’s tackling abilities are unparalleled, his aerial prowess can make the tallest of strikers look dwarf and he hardly lets his marker breathe all match. Just when you think that a thunderbolt of a shot is destined for the net, just when you think that a beautiful finesse shot is headed in, Vidic throws himself chivalrously infront, and pretends as if nothing happened! How many times have we seen him sacrifice himself for the sake of the team.

Nemanja is a warrior. He is a natural defender. He loves it. That is the great thing about him. There have been a few defenders like him over the years. When the ball comes into the penalty box, the one player you know wants to get it cleared is Nemanja.- Sir Alex Ferguson

He hackles, harasses and literally toys around with some players. Opposition marksmen fear the strong, muscular and imposing Serb. They shiver at the mere idea of facing him for 90 minutes, rather than the other way round. That’s the charm, aura and persona Vidic has built around himself, something that makes him one of the most feared and respected defenders the world has even seen.

Veni Vidic Vici

Vidic started his professional career with Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, and the youngster impressed his coaches and superiors instantly. He went on to amass almost 100 appearances before catching the eye of Spartak Moscow, who signed him in 2004 for his exceptional achievements with Red Star, leading them to a domestic double. In his time with Spartak, he was constantly linked to Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson keeping a frequent check on him by sending his scouts out to Moscow.

United eventually secured his signature for £7m in December ’05 and Vidic quickly found his feet at Old Trafford, establishing himself first as a regular and then as an indispensable member of the squad. He together with Rio Ferdinand formed, what now is, one of the most formidable defensive partnerships in the world. Now, in his seventh season with United, Nemanja has seen it all, from United’s Premier League triumphs of 06/07, 07/08, 08/09 and 10/11, their all conquering team of the 08/09 season which lifted the sacred European Cup, to the two heartbreaking final defeats at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League.

Vidic and Ferdinand: The most feared defensive partnership in the world

The Mr. Dependable has gone onto to feature in 236 matches for United, keeping umpteen clean sheets and scoring some very useful goals from set-pieces. He has been duly recognised and rewarded for his brilliant display over the years, winning the Premier League Player of the Season award twice, claiming the Serbian Footballer of the Year honour on 2 occasions apart from various other recognitions and honours. He has always operated from the backstage, keeping a low profile off the field, but that hasn’t kept him away from the praise and appreciation he deserves.

We wish Nemanja Vidic a truly memorable birthday and a prosperous, joyful and rewarding season ahead. God bless you Nemanja, you were, are and always be a Red. You are a United legend and you will remain in our hearts till eternity.