UTD Unscripted: We wanted to obliterate everyone!

Thursday 30 July 2020 08:30

UTD Unscripted returns this week, and what a treat we have in store for you!

On Friday and Saturday, we’re bringing you both parts of an unprecedented first for our bespoke long-read series: an epic double-header focusing on arguably the greatest defensive duo to ever wear the shirt, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

With over 11 Premier League medals and over 750 appearances between them – not to mention the 2008 Champions League success and the world title that followed – Rio and Vida were the rock-solid foundation on which Sir Alex Ferguson built his last and some might say ‘best’ United team.
 
And now, they’re telling their side of the story.
How they forged their phenomenal partnership. How they got to know one another. The secret details behind their success.
 
First up is Rio, on Friday, and then it's Nemanja on Saturday. You can judge for yourself, but we think these are the best UTD Unscripted pieces yet.
 
Here’s a taste of what's to come, across two absolutely monumental reads…
WHO DIDN’T RATE THE OTHER UPON FIRST SIGHT?
United’s dressing room could be a ferocious and intimidating place in the 1990s and 2000s. Stuffed full of winners who hoovered up Premier League medals like they were collecting stray bits of confetti, the standards were high. So high, in fact, that when Rio and Vida first laid eyes on one another at Carrington, one of the pair thought the other needed to up their game. Significantly. Can you guess who? All will be revealed over the weekend…

WHICH OF THEM CRIED AFTER MOSCOW?
Neither defender was exactly renowned for showing sentimentality or emotion: they were both hard as nails and utterly ruthless when it came to ceding goalscoring chances, let alone actual goals. So we were shocked to read that one of Ferdinand and Vidic was absolutely sobbing after our third Champions League success was sealed in Moscow, in 2008, following a dramatic penalty shootout win against Chelsea. So tearful even, that their fellow centre-back had to tell them to get it together! Who’s your money on? Maybe the person in question was just relieved Nicolas Anelka had missed and they didn’t have to step up to take a spot-kick…
Goal of the Day: Vidic v Tottenham Video

Goal of the Day: Vidic v Tottenham

Let's throw it back to Nemanja Vidic's bullet header at White Hart Lane from 2007...

THEIR SECRET THIRD PARTNER
All great teams need their unsung heroes, and while Rio and Vida were famous as the steel that anchored a gloriously attacking United side, both are quick to pay tribute to another regular member of the back line. This player is mentioned by both in each of our upcoming UTD Unscripteds. Could it be Patrice Evra – the infamously eccentric and popular team man? How about Wes Brown – the man who seamlessly stepped into Vidic’s shoes and delivered arguably his greatest ever performance in the 1-0 win over Barcelona that sealed our place in the 2008 Champions League final? Or somebody else special? You’ll have to wait to find out…

THE REASON OUR CLEAN-SHEET RUN ENDED
United’s class of 2008/09 still holds the record for the longest consecutive run of clean sheets in Premier League history (14). That meant Ferguson’s men went over four whole months without allowing a single goal to be scored against them in the league! But only one of Ferdinand and Vidic played in all 14 of those games, however. And in their UTD Unscripted, the legend we’re talking about has an interesting theory on why the run ended, which involves a a certain knight of the realm…
THE STRIKER WHO HELPED US MOST IN TRAINING
We mentioned earlier on that standards at Carrington were sky high, and is it any wonder, when defenders were being asked to front up against the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs on a daily basis?! But one of our defensive couple reckons another forward might have posed the most difficult challenge in training. Why? Because their game was almost complete, and presented so many different problems for them to solve. They must have been good, because both Rio and Vida developed into a central-defensive partnership that was the envy of the world. Be sure to check out both editions of these special UTD Unscripteds to find out who this stellar talent was...
 
You can read Rio Ferdinand’s UTD Unscripted on ManUtd.com and the Official App from Friday from 09:00 BST.
 
Nemanja Vidic’s exclusive long read will follow on Saturday from 09:00 BST.

UTD Unscripted: Epic stories, brilliantly told