Vidic: You have work to do, we in Serbia also have problems to solve

Nemanja Vidic, one of Manchester United's iconic defenders during the Sir Alex Ferguson era, has named the most influential coaches of his career. The Serbian center-back also revealed his familiarity with not only Dimitar Berbatov, his former teammate at Old Trafford, but also other legendary Bulgarian footballers. Vidic briefly touched upon Mladen Krstajic, with whom he played for the Serbian national team, and who later had a less-than-successful stint as head coach of the Bulgarian national squad.

"Several names were crucial to my career – Zoran Antonijevic, Slavoljub Muslin, Sir Alex Ferguson… Everyone has moments of doubt. That's when you need good mentors to guide you. Bulgaria has always been a good country for us and for our coaches to showcase their qualities. I've also played with many Bulgarian footballers who I consider friends. I've visited here many times. We share a lot, and it's always a pleasure. I haven't spoken with Mladen Krstajic about the Bulgarian national team, and I haven't seen him in a long time. We had a fantastic period together with the Serbian national team. I believe that in his coaching career, Mladen hasn't yet reached the level he achieved as a player. The future is still ahead of him.

Bulgarian football is going through a tough period. I remember your team from 1994. After that, you had the generation with Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov, and Bojinov. I see Stiliyan Petrov more often than Bojinov and Martin Petrov. I know Stiliyan best. They are great guys with experience and knowledge. We didn't have as many players abroad for such a long time. I think they can be beneficial for Bulgarian football with their creativity. They speak foreign languages and know people. You have work to do, and we in Serbia also have problems to solve. I hope one day we will have strong national teams again. We tend to make promises, but that's about it," Vidic stated.