'You can fix your nose, but if you let somebody score the goal your pride cannot be fixed'

Nemanja Vidic is part of a rare breed in modern football. The Serbian was not afraid to get physical and risk his own health for his team to get a positive result, and he even admitted he would rather risk a broken bone than let the opposition score.

His exploits at Old Trafford saw him lift 15 trophies, the majority under Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager who was not easy to please. When asked what kept him going in his latter years, which were marred by injuries, Vidic plainly said: ''Pride. You can fix your nose, but if you let somebody score the goal your pride cannot be fixed."

''If you looked closely on the pitch you'd have seen others were bigger than me, but I understood this: that if I was going to win a challenge I had to go 150 per cent. Not 80 per cent, not 90 per cent, 150 per cent. That's mental strength.''

The centre-back lavished praise on former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, while also highlighting his demanding nature: ''In the last four or five years of my career I suffered a lot,'' Vidic admitted. ''In the 2008 Champions League final, I played injured. Fergie said, 'Are you ready to play?' I said, 'Mmm, I feel a bit...' He said, "You're playing."

''Sir Alex is a role model you see and say, 'Wow, I'd like to be like that.' He did his job so easy, and in sport 'simple' is the most difficult way."