Manchester United Legend Nemanja Vidic Reveals Surprising Name as 'Dirtiest' Player He's Ever Faced

Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic has named former Liverpool and Southampton striker Rickie Lambert as the 'dirtiest' player he ever faced in his career. 

Vidic was taken out by an elbow from Lambert in a 1-1 draw against Southampton in what turned out to be his final game for United in May 2014, and he apparently still holds a grudge.

He told The Times that the generally enjoyed the fact that strikers in England were 'honest', but recently-retired Lambert was an exception. 

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"I didn’t know many dirty players," Vidic said. "Maybe just this guy from Southampton, he also played for Liverpool."

When asked if he was referring to Lambert, Vidic replied: “Yes, him.” 

Vidic claimed the incident in which he received a bloody nose from the ex-England international left him with a bad taste, as it was the only time an opponent had set out to 'hurt' him. 

"I got an elbow from him. How did I handle it? You don’t ‘handle it," he added. "I’m sad for him actually. He became very small for me then in my career I can’t think of any other player who wanted to hurt me."

Vidic was a stalwart for Manchester United in nine years at Old Trafford, having joined the club from Spartak Moscow in 2005. 

He won the Premier League five times and the League Cup three times, but it was the Champions League win in 2008 that was his crowning moment. 

Vidic was huge part of the run to the final that saw United knock out Roma and Barcelona before beating Chelsea on penalties in Moscow. 

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Vidic, who retired in 2016 after a two-season spell with Inter in Serie, is still a hugely popular figure amongst United fans. 

Also in the interview with the Times, he claimed that his own injuries have not put him off fighting altogether and he is keen to see how his old defensive partner Rio Ferdinand fares in the boxing ring.

"I would love to see that [Ferdinand boxing] actually. I am going to the match. And I am buying a ticket. Tell Rio I’m not asking for tickets. I’m buying.”