Widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders in history, Vidić is best known for his time at Manchester United, where he won 15 trophies and served as club captain.

He moved back to Red Star after the loan deal ended, playing regularly in the top-flight Yugoslav League with coach Zoran Filipović.

[25] After playing two seasons for Spartak Moscow, Vidić signed for Manchester United for a fee of around £7 million on 25 December 2005[26] and joined the club on 5 January 2006 after his work permit was granted.

[28] On this occasion, United beat out stiff competition for Vidić's signature, as his transfer to Fiorentina in Italy had already been agreed with the club's Sporting Director, Pantaleo Corvino.

Since Fiorentina had to wait in order to complete the signing due to not having any free non-EU spots on its roster at the time, United stepped in and hijacked the transfer.

[29] He was assigned the number 15 shirt and on 25 January 2006, he made his debut for United as a substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dying minutes of a 2–1 win in the League Cup semi-final second leg against Blackburn Rovers.

[30] On 26 February 2006, Vidić won his first trophy with United, coming on in the 83rd minute for Wes Brown in the 2006 League Cup final win against Wigan Athletic.

On 13 November 2010, Vidić scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 away draw against Aston Villa in the 85th minute to grab United a point from a 2–0 deficit.

[53] On 1 February, Vidić scored against Aston Villa at Old Trafford with a powerful drive inside the penalty area as United won 3–1.

A week later, he started in Manchester United's opening Premier League fixture of the season at West Bromwich Albion, but was taken off during the second half with a calf injury.

In the next four Premier League matches, he played a big part in winning and keeping clean sheets against Sunderland (1–0) at Old Trafford and Swansea City (0–1) at the Liberty Stadium.

There was nothing to be done, however, for conceding a goal from a penalty kick caused by a controversial Rio Ferdinand tackle at home against Newcastle United in a 1–1 draw.

A cross was played into the box from the left-hand side that goalkeeper David de Gea came for and tried to punch, resulting in the Spaniard becoming sandwiched between Vidić and Mladen Petrić; the ball came off his heel and bounced into the goal.

[61] Vidić's expulsion totaled to four red cards against Liverpool during his career at Manchester United, more than any other player against an opponent in the history of the Premier League.

[62] On 1 April, Vidić scored the opening goal in Manchester United's 1–1 Champions League quarter-final first leg draw against Bayern Munich.

[64] He played his last home match for Manchester United on 6 May against Hull City, in which he received three standing ovations: one during a pre-match presentation for him by Sir Bobby Charlton, the second when he came on as a substitute for Phil Jones, and the third for his first touch of the game.

In his competitive debut, a goalless draw at Torino on 31 August, he conceded a penalty by fouling Fabio Quagliarella and was sent off for dissent after sarcastically applauding the referee in added time.

[67] On 18 September, Vidić was selected man of the match after his performance against Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk where Inter won 1–0 in Kyiv thanks to a goal from Danilo D'Ambrosio.

[68] Three days later, in week three of 2014–15 Serie A, he made an error that allowed Franco Vázquez to score the only goal for Palermo in a 1–1 draw at Stadio Renzo Barbera.

[69] Following Walter Mazzarri's departure as head coach, the returning Roberto Mancini relegated Vidić to the bench in favor of younger defenders Andrea Ranocchia and Juan Jesus.

[18] Vidić missed out on Serbia and Montenegro's opening group stage match against the Netherlands through suspension from his previous red card,[74] and on 12 June 2006, he injured his left knee ligaments during training, and therefore he did not participate in any games at the 2006 World Cup.

[76] He was considered to be one of the world's best centre-backs in his prime due to his defensive consistency and awareness, as well as his strength, leadership, and ability in the air, which made him a goal threat on set pieces.

As such, he formed an effective and successful defensive partnership with a more mobile and technical defender such as Rio Ferdinand during their time together at Manchester United.

[81] He was also praised for his aggressive defensive style by his Manchester United team-mates, and was highly regarded in the media for his on-the-pitch bravery throughout his career.

[77] Although primarily a centre-back, Vidić was also capable of playing as a makeshift right-back on occasion, as was the case when he replaced O'Shea in the 2009 League Cup Final.