So is it Nemanja, or Mr Vidic?
“No, please, you can call me Vida.”
Vida it is, then. Ambitions for this season, Vida?
“To win everything. That is the mentality of Manchester United. We go into every game to win. If you think any other way, how can you play for a successful club? We have quality players at United – a big squad with lots of competition for places. It will be difficult to win the Premier League again, because it is such a difficult league, but we have everything a team needs to be able to win the title.”
How hard was it to adapt to the English game?
“It was very hard. The first couple of months after I joined, I wasn’t me. I could not pass the ball properly, or control a simple ball. My confidence was gone and I did start to think maybe England wasn’t for me. But it takes time to adapt. It’s very different here – it’s fast, a very high standard, many games. But, after a couple of months, I learnt how to play and I began to find my confidence again. Now you see the real Nemanja Vidic.”
What did Mr Ferguson say to you?
“He was very good to me. He knew that I was not playing as I could play, but he would always say to me: ‘Don’t worry, I know you are right for this league and right for this club, it will come.’ And it did come. All the coaches helped me through, and I worked hard to find my confidence. When you have confidence, you concentrate more fully and the game comes easily.”
Is it true that Rio Ferdinand took you under his wing when you first arrived?
“Yes. We would go to the restaurants together and hang around away from the game. He helped me a lot to settle here in Manchester – we get on very well on and off the pitch, which is important in a relationship. On the pitch, we think in the same way. He knows what I will do and I know what he will do – we know what movements the other will make, and there is an understanding between us that makes it easy to play together.”
Speaking to you now, you seem a very placid guy. What happens when you cross the white line?
“The man you see on the pitch is very different to the man you see off it, the man you speak to today. When I play football, I become more aggressive – I have to give everything to the team. Maybe I don’t always have great form, but I always give everything I have and I think the fans like to see that. I play strong, yes, but I am not a dirty player or a killer, as the fans sing. I don’t want to hurt or injure anyone, I just want to win. I have to win. I am a bad loser.”
How bad? Do you kick things?
“No, but I feel very bad. I hate it. Nothing makes me happier than winning games. I love to win, but when we lose – and particularly if I don’t play well – I’m not good to be around. It takes me some time to calm down. And, when someone scores against me, it is like a slap in the face. I don’t like that feeling. It makes me feel very bad – very bad.”
So how did you feel after the Milan game in the Champions League last season?
“Oh, you kill me now! That was after I broke my collar bone and came back. That was my worst game for the team, no question. It was a very bad night, but I am over it now.”
WeÂ’ve seen you smiling widely after splitting your head open. Are you impervious to pain?
“No, of course not, but if you fear injury you will not play your normal game. I have broken my collar bone, torn knee ligaments, split my head a few times… and I have no doubt I will be injured again, but that doesn’t worry me. That is football, particularly as a defender. You have to be brave.”
Have marriage and becoming a dad changed you?
“I think so, yes. I have grown up since I became a dad [to son Luka]. Becoming a father gives you responsibility – you want to be there for your children and bring them up well. And the same is true of being married. I am more relaxed now I am married. I enjoy life with my wife and my baby. I am a calmer person, which maybe helps me as a footballer – maybe it makes me a better player.”
And how are you liking England now? Is it starting to feel like home?
“Yes, I like it here very much – but, as I said, it wasn’t always that way. The first couple of months were very hard; settling into a different style of life and being around new people was tough, and that made playing football harder too. But I got used to it and then I started to enjoy my time and feel much better. The weather is different here. You go outside to walk and you get caught in the rain. It rains so much, but it does feel like home.”
And the food? Do you like English food?
“Fish and chips! I love your fish and chips! With beans. Fish and chips and beans. Very nice. And I like the bacon in the morning also, but as a footballer I have to be careful what I eat.”
