Vidic : War Has Me Stronger
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The Red Devils' Serbian defender feels that he is stronger because of his childhood experiences in bombed Serbia, and that the conflict has made him better able to cope with the pressures of professional football.
When Nemanja Vidic was a child in Serbia, his games were quite often interrupted by the sound of bombers overhead, and he spent a three-month period in his childhood when his family could barely use their apartment because of air raids.
Prior to that, of course, his country was at war, with all the attendant trauma that that state brings to a nation.
But the dominant centre-back believes that such experiences have made him stronger as a person, which is a positive thing.
"Any person that has bad times in their life, I think gets stronger after it, and obviously they learn to live in other ways," the player told Setanta Sports.
"You have good things to enjoy and bad things to make you strong, and if it makes you stronger it is good."
As for being a possible contender for Premier League player of the year, something which has been mooted as a real possibility by some observers, the Serb reacted modestly, but excitedly.
"It's a big word," he continued. "To be a defender and in competition to be the best player in the league, it doesn't happen every year.
"Obviously I'm glad to hear people speak about it, but I try to do my best for the team."
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted recently as saying he believed that Vidic's recent performance against Wigan Athletic was the best he had seen by a centre-back in his long career, a comment that Vidic was taking in his stride as he looked to ensure that United once again collected team trophies this season.
"It's nice when the manager is happy about your game," he continued.
"You need to have that mentality to go to win any game. We are in a good position now in four trophies, but it is only February.
"It's more important what it looks like in May."