Nemanja Vidić vs Nuno Gomes: Stats Compared
Centre-Back, Serbia (born 1981, retired 2016) · Striker, Portugal (born 1976, retired 2013)
Set Nemanja Vidić alongside Nuno Gomes and the numbers start an argument of their own. It is in how they played, rather than what they won, that the comparison gets interesting. The raw numbers read 29 goals in 518 outings for Nemanja Vidić (0.06/game), versus 190 in 600 for Nuno Gomes (0.32/game). Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Nemanja Vidić is credited with 0 and Nuno Gomes with 30. In major honours Nemanja Vidić collected 8 — headlined by 5× Premier League (2007–2013) — whereas Nuno Gomes amassed 5, led by 3× Primeira Liga (1994, 2005, 2010). Stylistically Nemanja Vidić was elegant where Nuno Gomes was explosive — two vocabularies of the same sport. The wider career context matters too: Nemanja Vidić peaked around 2009 after representing Red Star Belgrade, Spartak Moscow, Manchester United, Inter, while Nuno Gomes's defining level came around 2004 across Benfica, Fiorentina, Benfica, Braga. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
175 words · comparison angle: style
Player profiles
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Widely considered as one of the greatest defenders of all time, Vidić is best known for his time at Manchester United, where he won 15 trophies and served as club captain. He is one of only five players to win the Premier League Player of the Season award twice, alongside Thierry Henry, Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.
“A fearless centre-back who dominated the air and treated every duel as a personal contest.”
Portugal's talismanic striker through two major tournaments, Nuno Gomes was Benfica's record European Championship top scorer and a beloved figure in Portuguese football.
“A sharp, hard-working striker whose movement and finishing made him a reliable source of goals across two decades.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 5× Premier League (2007–2013)
- 3× Primeira Liga (1994, 2005, 2010)
- 2× Taça de Portugal (2004, 2005)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2001 Established himself at Red Star Belgrade
- 2005 Reached his defining peak
- 2009 Delivered a landmark season
- 2016 Retired from professional football
- 1994 Professional debut for Benfica
- 1994 Won Primeira Liga with Benfica
- 2004 Won Taça de Portugal with Benfica
- 2004 Reached the peak of his powers at Benfica
- 2013 Retired after a final spell at Braga
- Finished his career with 190 goals in 600 appearances and 5 major honours. Finished his career with 190 goals in 600 appearances and 5 major honours.
The verdict
Taking goals, assists, silverware and overall profile together, Nemanja Vidić takes it by a decisive margin.
Nemanja Vidić edges it (a decisive margin)
