Nemanja Vidic has named the four toughest opponents he ever faced during his time in the Premier League and surprisingly left Fernando Torres off of his list. The Serbian represented Manchester United from 2006 to 2014 and won just about everything there was to win during his tenure at Old Trafford.
Vidic played 300 times for the Red Devils and became one of the best defenders in Premier League history along the way. There were very few players capable of getting the better of the star and he was regularly a striker’s nightmare. Alongside Rio Ferdinand, he formed one of the best centre-back partnerships in the history of the English top flight.
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With that said, there were a number of players who did give Vidic a tough time on the pitch. Famously, Torres was known for his performances against United and getting the better of the centre-back at times. Despite this, he was nowhere to be seen when the Serbian spoke to The Athletic in 2019 and decided to name the four best strikers he ever faced in the Premier League.
In a separate interview with FourFourTwo, he spoke about Torres and the notion that he struggled against the Spaniard, but admitted there were tougher opponents, saying:
“Drogba was tougher. Torres always created a chance to score, but Drogba was on you for the full game. People say: ‘You had a difficult game against Torres’, but it was just the one game. I went to head the ball but changed my mind and tried to pass to Edwin [van der Sar]. I misjudged the distance and Torres scored.”
Peter Crouch
The aerial ability gave Vidic fits
Perhaps the most surprising name included by Vidic was Peter Crouch, but older football fans will be well aware of how good the towering English striker was during his prime. No one could compete with the former Liverpool star in the air when he was at his peak. He was a defender’s worst nightmare inside the penalty area. The former defender agrees and when describing playing against Crouch, he said:
“I’d never seen a two-metres tall player before. He played for Liverpool and we played them in a cup game at Anfield. I was thinking ‘Wow, what can I do today with this guy?’
“Then I saw Bellamy next to him, not a great player on the ball but very, very fast. He would run into space, Crouch would jump into the air. I’d never seen football played like this.”
The forward was far more than just an aerial threat, scoring some cracking goals during his career and even pulling out an iconic robot celebration every once in a while.
Didier Drogba
His strength and intelligence caused issues
The next player that Vidic mentioned was also one that dominated in the air. Didier Drogba’s time at Chelsea saw the forward torture defenders with his strength and his sheer winning mentality. The former Ivory Coast international was the ultimate big game player for the Blues, regularly rising to the occasion on the biggest stages. Drogba wasn’t afraid to turn get inside his opponent’s head when the time called for it and that, paired with his strength was something Vidic had trouble with.
“He was a very clever player who would get into the brain of the defenders. He was strong, but he was always thinking ahead. He would think, ‘If the defender pushes me now I will go down’ or ‘Next time I will go strong’.
“He scored so many important goals, he was very consistent. I played against him when we were both at the peak of our careers.”
Drogba was the sort of player that fans loved and opposition supporters loved to hate. His impact at Stamford Bridge is undeniable and the Blues would certainly have a lot less silverware in their trophy cabinet right now if it wasn’t for him.
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Sergio Aguero
His elite positioning was a nightmare to deal with
The man responsible for probably the Premier League’s most iconic moment, Sergio Aguero helped transform Manchester City into a global force to be reckoned with. His explosive form in front of goal was impossible for defenders to deal with and while he wasn’t known for his excessive work-rate, he always knew where the ball was going to be and used that to his advantage. Vidic was all too aware of that too and when he named Aguero as one of his toughest ever Premier League opponents, he said:
“I’m convinced that Aguero was born as a defender. He knows where the ball will come and where he can attack. I played against him when they beat us 4-1 in the Moyes season.”
If injuries hadn’t held him back towards the end of his run at the Etihad Stadium, there’s no telling how much better Aguero could have been. He still managed to become one of the best forwards in the history of the English top flight, though.
Luis Suarez
His energy was unlike anyone else
The last player named by Vidic was Luis Suarez. While the Uruguayan’s stay in England might not have been long, he more than made enough of the time he did have at Liverpool. The forward was inevitable and regardless of his less than ideal behaviour at times, there’s no denying how prolific he was for the Reds. According to Vidic, the Inter Miami man could just force things to happen on the football pitch.
“[Suarez is] an energetic player. He’s different from Aguero who doesn’t run for 90 minutes – he’s a player who uses instinct. Everything is done in bursts. I don’t think he knows exactly what he’s doing but he succeeds.
“The ball will go through a defender’s legs and people will think it’s an accident, but he has this sheer force to do it.”
While Vidic’s decision not to name Torres in his top four toughest Premier League opponents will certainly raise eyebrows, there’s no denying how good the footballers he did name-drop were during their time in the top flight.
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All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 21/10/2024
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