Vidic following in the footsteps of Keane, Cantona

Wearing the captain’s armband is a honour at an level, in any sport.

Knowing that you have been entrusted to lead your team must give you a boost and whilst it may not always have this effect *cough Gallas cough* at Old Trafford it seems to raise the bar and the level of your game.

There is a long illustrious list of former captains including Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, Martin Buchan, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane just to name some and now you can add Nemanja Vidic to that list.

When he was named as captain this season it was amidst some confusion, initially it was thought he was on field captain due to the uncertainty injuries were causing for Gary Neville but it appears he isn’t just on field captain rather he is the full fledged club captain.

Many had thought Rio Ferdinand would get the nod for the role as he did such a good job in the 07-08 season as well as when ever he was called upon but he too has suffered with injuries thus Vidic was given the armband and he hasn’t disappointed yet. Speaking on what he was looking for when selecting his new captain Sir Alex said:

“We had to choose someone we felt was going to be fit and playing every week, we felt Vidic was closest to that. And he is a defender and I always think they make better captains.”

The role has raised Vidic’s game and with Rio back by his side he is looking as imperious as ever. An air of stability and solidarity has returned to our backline this season as Vidic has really started dominating games how he used to and with the calm composure of Ferdinand beside him, the defensive woes we saw earlier in this season are slowly abating.

Vidic is a top defender, it’s no coincidence that he was linked with a host of top teams before he signed his new contract as there are few if any teams that would turn down his services. Yet this season I am seeing a growth in him that may be down to him wearing the armband and long may it continue!