Nemanja Vidic recently retold the story of giving away his 2006 League Cup medal, claiming that he didn't feel like he deserved it.
Nemanja Vidic is a club legend, through and through. In fact, he's probably the most underrated defender the Premier League has ever seen.
An example of true European grit, Man United fans can only recall positive memories of watching Vidic. The same cannot be said by any forward who came up against him, but that only adds to his brilliance.
He just had a feeling of safety attached to watching him. Whenever he was in a one-on-one defensive situation, or even with a few attackers running at him, you always favoured Vidic.
Turns out, his brilliance transpired off the pitch, too.
Nemanja Vidic gave away his Man United medal
Speaking on The Overlap, Nemanja Vidic recounted a story of the 2006 League Cup final, where he gave up his winners medal to Giuseppe Rossi.
It was an anecdote that Vidic had to be probed to tell by his former teammate Gary Neville. Of course, Vidic is too humble to tell stories about himself like that without being asked.
In his own words, Vidic said: "Yep, [I did give my medal away] because I just played 15 minutes so I felt I didn't deserve it and I think Giuseppe played two or three games. The only game I played was 15 minutes in the final and I think he wasn't on the bench, I didn't feel like it was mine. That's how I felt..."
"That's a very good gesture." 👏
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) July 4, 2025
A touch of class from Nemanja Vidić towards Giuseppe Rossi. 🥇 pic.twitter.com/tcMvxuNPPb
Nemanja Vidic holds himself to the highest standard
Not only does it show how humble and how much of a great leader Vidic is, but it shows the sheer high standards he held himself to.
By Vidic saying he didn't feel like the trophy was his because of playing 15 minutes, this shows that he wants to give his 100% effort to the team. He won't accept any praise if he doesn't feel like he's earned it.
This was personified not only by his incredible on-field presence, but the longevity at which Vidic played at the top level. For all of these reasons combined, Vidic is a club legend and he's an example for defenders today to look back at.