Paul Scholes dubbed Soccer Aid rival 'moody' and 'lunatic' who he avoided

Daily Mirror

8 hours ago

Paul Scholes is one of many Manchester United legends playing at Old Trafford on Sunday evening for Soccer Aid 2025, and he's already made his feelings clear on one rival who he will face off against
Paul Scholes branded former Manchester United team-mate Nemanja Vidic a "lunatic" as he prepares to face him at Soccer Aid. The pair of Red Devils legends are among a number of famous faces from the Sir Alex Ferguson era who will return to Old Trafford on Sunday evening to raise money for Unicef through a friendly kickabout.
And while Scholes and Vidic worked brilliantly alongside one another during their Premier League glory days, they will be playing for separate teams at Soccer Aid. Scholes is representing England with Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Gary Neville, while Vidic will play for the World XI with the likes of John O'Shea, Carlos Tevez and Edwin van der Sar.
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Despite coming across as a fun-filled spectacle between former players and celebrities, Scholes may head into the fray a little anxious if his past comments on Vidic are anything to go by. That's because the Serbian national was one of the many hard-men in Manchester United's ranks during his playing days.
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Speaking to the UTD podcast about what Vidic was like as a team-mate, the 50-year-old said: "I was fairly good at tackling. It was all calculated. I was just getting people back. That's all I was doing.
"I never instigated. If someone got me, there's a chance I'd get them back. Vida [Vidic] had some tackles in the box, he could be a lunatic."
He added: "He didn't play as a centre half in five-a-side. He was one of those defenders that thought he could play a bit as a No. 10. You know what I mean?
"When you get to a five-a-side a he does anything but play in his position, 'Give it to me' all that stuff. But when it came to a game he would head and kick everything.
"In training he could be a bit moody and a nuisance in the box especially but a great centre half. He was perfect for English football. He could head the ball, tackle, he was great, a really good player."
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After forming a formidable partnership with Rio Ferdinand quickly after arriving at Old Trafford in 2006, Vidic made 300 appearances for the Red Devils. He lifted five Premier League titles, three League Cups and a Champions League. Vidic left United in 2014 to play for Inter Milan, before calling time on an illustrious career in January 2016.
Scholes, meanwhile, spent the entirety of his professional footballing career with United, racking up 155 goals and 82 assists from 716 games primarily as a central-midfielder. Alongside Vidic, he is part of a wealth of household names who will play at Soccer Aid on Sunday from content creators like Morgan Burtwhistle (AKA AngryGinge) to fellow athletes like Sir Mo Farah and Tony Bellew.
Football fans can catch all of the action live on ITV1 and ITVX from 6pm onwards. Kick-off is slated for 7:30pm.
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