On his day, it was nigh on impossible to get past Nemanja Vidic.

The former Serbia international was a towering presence alongside Rio Ferdinand in one of the best Manchester United defences of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

How the Red Devils have missed a centre-back like him - although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope they have finally found one in Harry Maguire.

Probably the most memorable battle between the two came in 2009 when Liverpool humiliated United 4-1 at the Theatre of Dreams.

Vidic was quite literally left on the floor by El Nino, who raced past him and slotted past Edwin van der Sar.

His nightmare afternoon then continued as he was sent off.

It wasn't just Torres who challenged Vidic, though, as he has been recalling some of the strikers he found it most difficult to play against in an interview with The Athletic. 

Peter Crouch

"My first experience was Peter Crouch. I’d never seen a two-metres tall player before. I was thinking ‘Wow, what can I do today with this guy?

Didier Drogba

"He was a very clever player who would get into the brain of the defenders. Drogba was on you for the full game. I played against him when we were both at the peak of our careers.”


Sergio Aguero

"He knows where the ball will come and where he can attack. But in the box, he has a low centre of gravity, which helps him change direction quickly, especially against the big English defenders."


Luis Suarez

"Everything is done in bursts. I don’t think he knows exactly what he’s doing but he succeeds. He’s very direct and hungry to score. He runs for 90 minutes, he has a fire in him."

Vidic eventually left United in 2014.

He spent the final two years of his career at Inter Milan and now has aspirations of returning to Carrington as a coach. 

Few defenders have a better CV for it.