Vidic: Wife wanted me to quit United

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Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has revealed he had to stave off severe pressure to quit the Premier League champions this summer... from his wife. The 27-year-old, who arrived from Spartak Moscow in 2006, has made more than 100 league outings for the Red Devils - scoring eight times - guiding the club to three consecutive league crowns and back-to-back Champions League final appearances. And the Serbian international - who has won 40 caps for his country - was rewarded for his consistently impressive form in 2008/09 by picking up both the Fans' Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards at Old Trafford. May's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in Rome could have been the last United supporters saw of the towering centre-back, after the player revealed that fellow European powerhouses AC Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona were all keen on acquiring him. However, much to Mrs Vidic's chagrin - who is still to appreciate the delights of Manchester and was desperate for her man to move on - the defender is adament he will be going nowhere until the end of his current deal, which expires in 2012. “My wife Ana is unhappy with our lifestyle in Manchester but I am not going to change my mind as I am happy with the team and Manchester and the club’s ambitions for next season,” he said in The Sun. “I got offers from Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid and I played a very honest game. I disclosed all these offers to my boss Sir Alex. “He reacted quickly. I was told he was raising my pay to bring it to the level where my reputation is in the Premier League and Europe. “After Milan and Real Madrid made their offers, Barcelona came in, they wanted to pay 30m for my services but after Sir Alex’s move, I am definitely staying in Manchester until my contract expires in 2012." UNITED FANS! Check FourFourTwo.com’s ever-expanding interviews archive for more stuff to read: Web Exclusives Wayne Rooney, Peter Schmeichel, Carlos Tevez Q&A Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistlerooy One on One David Beckham, George Best Ask A Silly Question Bryan Robson Boy's A Bit Special Danny Simpson Perfect XI Garth Crooks, Bryan Robson, Sir Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona What Happened Next? David May, Norman Whiteside Sing When You’re Winning Dominic Monaghan, Ian Brown And Another Thing Being a Big Four fan

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Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.