When Man United’s best player asked to quit football to fight in a war

It is ten years to the day since Man United signed Nemanja Vidic.

But it is only seven since they almost lost him as a volunteer to the Serbian armed forces.

Vidic is so hard that he asked Alex Ferguson to release him to fight against Kosovo in 2009.

Remember, at this point Vidic had played over 150 games for United, the biggest club in the world.

He had won the Champions League.

And yet he still wanted to walk out on Old Trafford to fight as an entry level solider in a war.

An actual war!

Alex Ferguson takes up the story in his autobiography.

“Vidic was a dour, uncompromising sod.

“He was a proud Serb. In 2009, he came to see me to say he might be getting called up.

“‘What do you mean, called up?’ I said, alarmed. ‘Kosovo. I am going,’ he said.

“‘It’s my duty.’

“He had the eyes for it.”

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