#NoMatterWhat - 5 sportspersons who overcame adversity and rose to the top

#2 Nemanja Vidic

Vidic's fight to become a professional footballer was similar to how he played the game on the fiel

The former Manchester United star is a born leader. Having overcome various odds and challenges, the Serbian in his own words says that he likes to fight for everything. He is a footballer who always had to do things the hard way, and his resilience reflected in the way he played throughout his career.

Growing up in extremely tough and poor conditions where his country was constantly under war, Vidic did not give up on his passion and worked hard to rise to the top. His journey wasn’t easy and he even went into depression for a while when he was at Red Star Belgrade after losing a close friend to a heart-attack.

Following his good form at Red Star and Spartak Moscow, Manchester United came calling and he moved to England. His initial days in the United squad were tough, with him having to settle for a place on the substitutes bench on more than one occasion.

However, the few opportunities he did get, he made sure he grabbed them with both hands and went on to prove just how tough he was as a player.

As months passed by, his United stint too improved, with Vidic starting more often, and scoring the occasional goal for his side, as the primary central defender.

By the end of the 2006-07 season, he was an integral part of the United defense. He eventually quit the team after a glorious 8 years with the club, as a strong player and a stronger individual, and possibly as one of their best defenders of all-time.