Nemanja Vidic is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of the Premier League era, but Liverpool fans remember him best for the countless occasions on which Fernando Torres ruined him!
Time and time again throughout our Spanish striker’s tenure, he left the Serb on the floor due to his pace and trickery. On two occasions Torres got Vidic sent off, but none of this would have been possible if the defender had signed for us under Rafa Benitez’s leadership.
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“Yes. Rafa Benitez called me and I nearly went there. I was interested in going but my English wasn’t good and I was struggling to communicate,” he told FourFourTwo.
“Then Manchester United came. Fergie called me at my apartment and said: ‘I watched you play for Serbia against France – I want you here’. United were decisive. Everything was done very quickly, within two days.”
United signed Vidic in January 2006, the same window we acquired Daniel Agger – so it’s not like we necessarily missed out. The Dane was brilliant for us at his best, although started to decline late on during his Anfield career due to injury.
A story in the Daily Mail from 2010 claims Liverpool were on the verge of signing a teenage Cristiano Ronaldo as well, but the truth is we probably enquire or scout most talented European youngsters – and we can’t sign them all.
There’s a young player currently on Liverpool’s roster who we hope appears in stories such as this one in the future… Ovie Ejaria joined from Arsenal in 2014, and has impressed so much during pre-season that many think he’ll play an active first-team role in 2016/17!
How sweet would that be?