Icons: Nemanja Vidić

It's time to look at another football icon. 

This time it's Nemanja Vidic. 

 A quick summary of his club career 

After establishing himself at Red Star Belgrade during the early 2000s, Vidić moved to Spartak Moscow in the summer of 2004. His form for club and country prompted a £7 million transfer to Manchester United in January 2006. 

The video below contains some of his early career moments. Footage from DelijeTube on YouTube

Vidić established a prominent defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand the following season, and was eventually selected as the new team captain of Manchester United at the start of the 2010–11 season. His captaincy ran over the course of four seasons, until his departure in July 2014. He played his last home match for Manchester United on 6 May against Hull City, in which he received three standing ovations: one during a pre-match presentation for him by Sir Bobby Charlton, the second when he came on as a substitute for Phil Jones, and the third for his first touch of the game. 

The fans clearly adored him. However, there was some criticism aimed at him. A small number of United fans suggested that he'd given up on the club during that final season. After Sir Alex Ferguson retired and David Moyes was appointed manager, many senior players struggled with a new boss and there was reportedly a number of disagreements between senior players and Moyes. 

Final chapter of club career

After a period of eight years in Manchester, Vidić joined Serie A club Inter Milan on a free transfer. Vidić mainly featured as a rotational player for two seasons, eventually agreeing to an early termination of his contract on 18 January 2016, as a result of inactivity due to a hernia injury. Vidić announced his retirement just under two weeks later, on the 29th of January. 

 International career 

Vidić made his senior debut on 12 October 2002 against Italy in UEFA Euro 2004 qualification. He was part of Serbia and Montenegro's "Famous Four" defence that conceded just one goal during ten 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. This set a record for the fewest goals conceded. He retired from the Serbian national team in October 2011.

What's he doing now?

In November 2021, it was reported  that he was one of 29 former professional footballers who have enrolled in UEFA’s Executive Master for International Players course.