Follow The Vida

Compared to his more vocal predecessors, Nemanja Vidic - 29 today (21 October) - is an understated United captain. But the Serbian has quietly led by example throughout his career...

In May this year, Serbia’s pre-World Cup friendly with New Zealand was on the brink of a riot. Although held at Austria’s Wörthersee Stadion, more than 10,000 Serbian fans attended, and the mood turned sour when the unfancied Kiwis took an early lead.

Furious with their team’s display, the crowd began hurling flares and empty whisky bottles onto the field. Those projectiles were soon followed onto the field by a handful of fans. Amid the chaotic cocktail of smoke, supporters and stewards sloshing about the pitch, Nemanja Vidic took charge. Grasping the stadium announcer’s microphone, he strode towards the disruptive section of the stands and made a succinct plea for calm. Unfazed, he also accepted a hug from one fan and engaged another in conversation, shortly before the stadium’s security team pounced.

The appeal calmed tensions and the game resumed. While the United defender – captain in the absence of Serbian legend Dejan Stankovic – couldn’t inspire his side to avoid an embarrassing defeat, he did achieve a greater goal: prevention of far costlier scenes of stadium disorder. That his mission was accomplished with almost total calm speaks volumes for the understated but undoubted respect Vidic commands. Now installed as United’s captain, to bring stability to a role which has rotated in recent seasons, the Serbian is the model of consistency for which Sir Alex Ferguson has been searching.

“The subject of picking the captain this year was pretty straightforward,” the United manager explains. “You want to pick a captain who is going to be playing every week. Defenders normally come in to that. So therefore I chose Nemanja Vidic, who signed a new contract. He’s going to be our most consistent player. If he’s fit, he’ll always play unless you rest him.”

But while his fitness and reliability may be the principal reasons behind Vidic’s appointment, he has long been able to boast a multitude of leadership credentials. “When I first coached Nemanja, I saw a boy with a very big talent,” recalls Zoran Filipovic, the coach who gave Vida his debut at Red Star Belgrade. “He never made errors during passing drills in training, and very early on he looked suited to English football. He had a very strong character and personality, even at 19. He loved to win, even when it was just games in training. He was so motivated. He was born a warrior. Because he was very young, he was sometimes nervous during games, but I worked very hard with him to correct that and put him on the right road. I spoke with him a lot to help him, and he matured very quickly.”

Vidic’s development was hastened by a rapid rise in stature. Filipovic urged Yugoslavia coach Dejan Savicevic to include the then-20-year-old in his squad to face Italy in qualifying for Euro 2004. Savicevic was so taken with Nemanja’s efforts in training that he fielded the youngster from the off, and the coach was rewarded with an eye-catching display from the new boy in a 1-1 draw. “Nemanja played very well,” says Filipovic. “He handled the pressure of the situation, of playing against big players in a big stadium, and he impressed everybody. Suddenly, everyone knew who he was.”

Despite his booming profile, Vidic couldn’t prevent Red Star’s bitter rivals, Partizan Belgrade, from claiming back-to-back domestic titles. A solitary success in the Yugoslav Cup was not sufficient to keep Filipovic in his job beyond three years, and legendary Red Star defender Slavoljub Muslin was installed as manager ahead of the 2003/04 situation. Before leaving, Filipovic enjoyed a prophetic farewell with Vidic. "I told him that he would be captain that next season,” recalls Filipovic, now coach of Lamontville Golden Arrows in South Africa. “He really needed that responsibility. He needed to take that next step in his career.” Sure enough, Vidic was named Red Star’s new captain at just 22, with spectacular results.

In 2003/04, with Vidic a virtual ever-present at the heart of the defence, Red Star conceded just 13 goals and suffered only two defeats in 30 league games. They strolled to the title by an 11-point margin, before Nemanja skippered his side to a cup final victory over FK Buducnost Banatski Dvor, securing the seventh domestic double in the club’s history. Spartak Moscow, fresh from unacceptable finishes of eighth and tenth in the Russian league, identified Vidic as the man to shore up a defence that was haemorrhaging goals and parted with £4 million to sign the Serbian. Nemanja once again made an instant impression and became a cornerstone of the side as they finished runners-up to champions CSKA Moscow in 2004/05, securing a Champions League qualifying berth for the first time in three seasons.

Vidic’s displays exuded such class and authority that United and a host of other clubs were alerted. Unbeknown to the player, whose fine form continued into 2005/06, the jostling for his signature was fierce and prompted the Reds to make a rare mid-season raid. The club were so keen to ward off other suitors, including Liverpool and Fiorentina, that it was announced on Christmas Day 2005 that a deal had been agreed to bring Vidic to Old Trafford, a week before the transfer window opened. Fast-forward almost five years and Vidic has collected 11 winners’ medals with the Reds. In the most recent, August’s Community Shield victory over Chelsea, the Serb lifted the trophy as captain, a position Sir Alex subsequently confirmed he will retain.

The decision to name only the second non-British or Irish team captain in United’s history – after Eric Cantona – was taken after widespread consultation among prominent figures at Carrington.

“It was sort of a question-and-answer session as far as the staff went, to find out who was the one we all thought should be captain,” reveals assistant manager Mike Phelan. “The final decision is the manager’s, but there were a few opinions sought. I think, on the whole, it was discussed among the players as well which contenders they would be happy with.

“The captaincy at Manchester United is a very honourable thing. Also it comes with a lot of work. You’re a figurehead in certain situations, be it within the game or outside the game, and he can handle those situations. You can sometimes be a spokesperson, although you don’t have to be because there are a lot of people who can do the talking at this football club, but Vida’s very level-headed, he’s strong-willed and he was just the candidate that the dressing room felt happy with.

“He’s a rock-solid defender and you can count on his appearances, his consistency, his strong mentality and fearless approach. He’s conscientious; he not only wants to do well for himself but for the team as well, he’s very team-oriented. The decision was made purely on consistency; he’s a consistent performer. He was an obvious choice. His responsibilities have grown over the years of his development. It’s the next step in what he would consider to be his progress. He’s Manchester United captain now, he’s often captain of his country, and how he handles that will be there for everyone to see.”

Vidic has enjoyed an eventful start to his captaincy, adapting to his new role and trying to steady a defensive ship rocked by careless concessions at Fulham, Everton and Bolton. As one of the Reds’ outstanding performers throughout the early season, the skipper has certainly impressed his colleagues in his new role.

“Nemanja’s a fantastic captain, a natural who leads by example,” says John O’Shea. “He’s taken to the job really well. He’s been a terrific player since the beginning of his United career and I’m sure he’s going to do a great job in the future.”

Predictably, Vidic is not adhering to the traditional ear-bashing, vein-bulging model of leadership. The Serbian is relishing his new role in typically understated fashion, and remains modest about his place in the squad’s pecking order.

“No-one is going to say they don’t want to be the captain of Manchester United and I am very happy with it,” says Nemanja. “It is a major responsibility but I have always liked responsibility. I am not a player who shies away from it. Nothing has really changed in that respect. We all know the captains of the team are Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand. They are the real leaders. The other players follow how they do things. They don’t have to do anything special. They just have to be themselves to be an example for the rest of the players.”

Perhaps without realising it, that’s exactly how Nemanja Vidic has built a following in the United dressing room.