Vidal started his career withColo-Colo, where he won threeChilean Primera División titles. He relocated to Europe, where he joinedBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen and played there for four seasons. He then moved to Juventus in 2011, where he became widely recognized as one of the best midfielders in world football.[10][11][12][13] At Juventus, he won theScudetti in all four of his seasons and also was integral for them in reaching thefinal of theUEFA Champions League in 2015. Vidal was named to the ten-man shortlist for the 2015UEFA Best Player in Europe Award following his performances.[14] On 28 July 2015, Vidal returned to theBundesliga, joiningBayern Munich and won three consecutive Bundesliga titles. After three years at Munich, he signed forLa Liga giants Barcelona, where he won his eighth straightleague title. In 2020 he returned to the Serie A to sign forInter Milan, where he won yet anotherSerie A title andCoppa Italia.[15] Following stints atFlamengo andAthletico Paranaense, Vidal returned to his boyhood club Colo-Colo in 2024.
Vidal was born inSan Joaquín, a working class commune in the Chilean capitalSantiago. His talent was noticed by his uncle, and he later joined the youth squads of localPrimera División clubColo-Colo.[5][16]
Vidal's professional debut came in the first leg of the2006 Torneo Apertura final against arch-rivalsUniversidad de Chile. Vidal came on as a late substitute forGonzalo Fierro. Colo-Colo would go on to win the game 2–1 and win the championship as well. In the following season (Torneo Clausura) he became a more important part of the squad and would lead Colo-Colo to their second championship win in a row. Vidal scored three goals in Colo-Colo'sCopa Sudamericana 2006 campaign. His good showing caught the eye of scouts from various European clubs.
The2007 Apertura Tournament was Vidal's last with Colo-Colo as he left forBayer Leverkusen in the summer. Bayer had tracked his progress for some time and his good showing at theU-20 World Cup that year convinced Bayer Leverkusen director of footballRudi Völler to make the trip to Chile to convince the 20-year-old to sign.[17] The two clubs then agreed on a fee ofUS$11 million with Bayer Leverkusen, paying $7.7 million for 70% ownership of his contract. His transfer broke the previous national record ofMatías Fernández's $9 million transfer toVillarreal.[18]
Vidal missed the first game of the season through injury but was soon thrust into the starting line-up and made his debut on 19 August 2007 in the away loss againstHamburger SV. He started in half the season's games and scored his first goal for the club just three games into his Bayer career. He was ever present for the2008–09 season and played a vital role in Bayer's run to theDFB-Pokal final. On 8 March, he suffered a concussion during the game againstVfL Bochum and was out for a month. Upon his return, he scored a goal to break the deadlock in the 4–1 semifinal win overMainz 05 in the DFB-Pokal, but Bayer eventually lost toWerder Bremen in the final.
The2010–11 season would be Vidal's last with Bayer. He helped the club to a runner-up finish in the Bundesliga and topped the assist charts for his club with 11 assists, which was joint second in the league.[19] He also contributed two goals in the club's run to the round of 16 of theUEFA Europa League.
After a good 2010–11 season, Vidal was linked with various clubs, including Bayer's Bundesliga rivalsBayern Munich.[20] On 22 July 2011, however, Vidal joinedSerie A clubJuventus for€10.5 million on a five-year contract.[21] He made his competitive debut in the opening league game of the season againstParma on 11 September 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute forAlessandro Del Piero; he marked his first appearance with a goal six minutes after his introduction in Juventus' 4–1 win at the club's new stadium.[22] It was initially speculated that he would compete withClaudio Marchisio for a spot alongsideAndrea Pirlo, but Juventus managerAntonio Conte instead played all three effectively in a three-man midfield in his 3–5–2 formation.[23] Vidal was an integral part of the2011–12Scudetto-winning side that went undefeated the entire season.[24] He contributed seven league goals and three assists, including crucial goals againstNapoli and a double againstRoma.
Vidal began his second season with the club by scoring from a penalty in the2012 Supercoppa Italiana on 11 August 2012, as Juventus defeated Napoli 4–2 in extra-time at theBeijing National Stadium.[25] On 19 September 2012, Vidal scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal in thegroup stage match away against the defending championsChelsea. It was a crucial equaliser as Juve finished the game 2–2 after going two goals down in the first half.[6] After helping the club to a second consecutiveSerie A title, scoring 10 league goals in the process, and 15 in all competitions, he was voted Player of the Year by registered users on the club website juventus.com.[26]
On 27 November 2013, Vidal scored ahat-trick againstCopenhagen in thegroup stage of theChampions League, two penalties and a header. It was his first career hat-trick,[27] and made him the first Juventus player toscore three goals in a match in the Champions League since former Juventus playerFilippo Inzaghi against Hamburger SV in 2000.[28] He later renewed his contract with Juventus, keeping him at the club until 2017.[29] On 27 February 2014, Vidal scored his first goal in theEuropa League with Juventus, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win overTrabzonspor, in the second leg of the round of 16, and helping Juventus to the semi-finals of the competition.[30] Vidal's offensive contribution increased that season, as he managed 11 goals inSerie A and 7 in European competitions, and he was one of the protagonists of Juventus' season as they won their third consecutive league title.[31] His season finished prematurely, however, as he sustained a knee injury.[32]
In hisfourth season with Juventus, under managerMassimiliano Allegri, Vidal began to play a more advanced role; in addition to his midfield box-to-box role in a 3–5–2 or 4–3–3 formation, Vidal was deployed as an attacking midfielder, supporting the strikers in Allegri's 4–3–1–2 formation, and occasionally as a wide midfielder in a 4–4–2 formation.[33] Vidal scored his first goals of the season by managing a brace in a 3–0 win overCesena on 24 September 2014.[34] On 30 November, in theDerby della Mole against local rivalsTorino, Vidal opened the scoring from a penalty, and later assisted Juventus' second goal in a 2–1 win.[35] On 14 April 2015, in the first leg of the quarter-finals in the2014–15 UEFA Champions League, Vidal converted a penalty as Juventus defeatedMonaco 1–0 atJuventus Stadium.[36]
On 2 May 2015, Vidal scored the only goal of a 1–0 win atSampdoria, confirmingLa Vecchia Signora as Serie A champions for the fourth consecutive season.[37] On 20 May, he appeared in Juventus' 2–1 win overLazio in the2015 Coppa Italia final, as Juventus captured a domestic double and their tenth Coppa Italia title.[38] On 6 June 2015, Vidal started for Juventus in the2015 Champions League final asLa Vecchia Signora was defeated 3–1 byBarcelona atBerlin'sOlympiastadion.[39]
On 28 July 2015, Vidal returned to the Bundesliga, joiningBayern Munich on a four-year deal for a fee of €37 million plus up to €3 million in bonuses.[41] Vidal made his debut for Bayern four days later in the2015 DFL-Supercup againstVfL Wolfsburg, as a 74th-minute substitute forThiago.[42] The match finished in a 1–1 draw; Bayern lost in a shootout where Vidal scored.[43] Vidal scored his first goal from the penalty spot againstFC Nöttingen in the fifth minute of Bayern's first roundDFB-Pokal match.[44] On 19 September, he scored his firstleague goal for Bayern in a 3–0 away victory overSV Darmstadt 98.[45] On 26 November, Vidal was nominated for the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year.[46] He scored two goals in both first leg and second leg of theChampions League quarter-final tie againstS.L. Benfica which helped his side to go through to the semi-final.[47][48]
On 15 August 2016, Vidal scored the first goal of the2016 DFL-Supercup match in a 2–0 victory over their fierce rivalBorussia Dortmund.[49] He scored his first ever headed goal for Bayern in a 2–0 victory overBorussia Mönchengladbach on 22 October.[50] On 8 March 2017, he scored two goals in a 5–1 away victory overArsenal in theChampions League round of sixteen second leg match.[51] On 12 April, he scored a header and also missed a penalty as his side suffered a 2–1 home defeat againstReal Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg.[52] In the second leg, he was sent off for receiving a second yellow card after a controversial tackle onMarco Asensio and his side were again defeated and knocked out of the competition by Real Madrid with a 4–2 loss.[53] In the last game of theseason, Vidal scored a goal in a 4–1 home victory overSC Freiburg and his side sealed a 25th win of the season and ensured they went a wholeleague campaign without a defeat at theAllianz Arena for the first time since2008.[54]
On 20 September, he scored his first goal of theseason in a 3–0away victory overFC Schalke 04.[55] Vidal scored the only goal of the match in a 1–0 victory overEintracht Frankfurt and it was his fourth goal in his last four appearances in theleague.[56] On 26 October, he made his 100th appearance for the club in a 5–4 victory on penalties againstRB Leipzig in theDFB-Pokal second round match.[57] Vidal suffered a season ending knee injury during training on 14 April 2018, and that was his last official match for Bayern. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected back for the 2018–19 Bundesliga preseason.[58]
On 3 August 2018,Barcelona announced an agreement with Bayern Munich for Vidal's transfer.[59][60] He was officially presented as aBarça player and signed a three-year contract with the club on 6 August 2018.[61] The paperDiario AS announced that the deal was reportedly worth 19 million euros, plus variables,[62] and the paper Sport announced that the deal was reportedly worth 18 million euros, plus 3 million euros in variables.[63] Even so, there wasn't an FC Barcelona statement about the transfer fee and the club's vice-president, Jordi Mestre, announced that the fee will not be disclosed at the request of Bayern Munich.[63]
On 12 August 2018, Vidal made his debut for the club after coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 victory overSevilla FC as his side won the2018 Spanish Super Cup.[64] On 28 October, Vidal came on as a substitute in the 84th minute ofEl Clásico. 3 minutes later, Vidal scored his first ever goal for Barcelona to cap off a 5–1 home win over rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.[65][66][67] On 27 April 2019, he assisted the winning goal byLionel Messi in a 1–0 win againstLevante, to secure theLa Liga title.[68]
In the 2019–20 season, Vidal mentioned ahead of the Champions League match against his former club Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals: "Bayern will be playing against the best team in the world: Barca", then he added, "They aren't playing against some random Bundesliga team. It's going to be a proper football game. They better be ready for us, because we're looking forward to the challenge." However, the match ended with an8–2 defeat to Barcelona, which was also his last match with the club.[69]
At the end of the decade, Vidal became the best player in the world at recovering balls (tackler)[70][71] and the highest scoring box-to-box player of the decade in the five major European leagues.[72]
On 22 September 2020,Inter Milan and Barcelona confirmed the transfer of Vidal for a fee of €1 million in variables.[73][74] On 13 January 2021, Vidal scored his first goal for the club againstFiorentina inCoppa Italia from thepenalty mark.[75] On 17 January, he scored his first Serie A goal with Inter in a 2–0 win over his former club Juventus.[76] On 11 July 2022, Vidal's contract with Inter was terminated by mutual consent.[77]
On 14 July 2022, Vidal joinedFlamengo on a free transfer. Vidal signed an 18-month contract which will see him at the club until December 2023.[78][79]He scored his first goal with "Mengao" on 30 July, in a 4–1 win overAtlético Goianiense, in the 20th round of theBrasileirao.[80] On 13 July 2023, Vidal's contract with Flamengo was terminated by mutual consent.[81]
Vidal representedChile at the Under-20 level at the2007 South American Youth Championship inParaguay where he was the tournament's second top scorer with six goals. During the tournament he played central midfield and helped the team to qualify for the2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup where Chile finished in third place with Vidal scoring two goals in the tournament, including the match winner againstPortugal in the round of 16.[85][86]
Vidal made his senior debut in a friendly againstVenezuela, where Chile won 1–0. He became a regular underMarcelo Bielsa when fit during2010 World Cup qualifying, playing in 11 matches and scoring a goal.[87] He was then named in the final 23-man squad for the tournament and started in all four of Chile's matches as they were defeated byBrazil in theround of 16. Vidal went on the appear in all of the team's matches at the2011 Copa América, scoring in the 2–1 group stage defeat ofMexico.[88]
Vidal scored 5 times in 11 appearances for Chile as the teamqualified for the2014 World Cup.[89] At the tournament, he started in three of theLa Roja's four fixtures, including the penalty shootout loss to Brazil in theround of 16.[90]
On 11 June 2015, five days after appearing the 2015 Champions League final for Juventus, Vidal scored the opening goal of the2015 Copa América from the penalty spot in Chile's 2–0 win overEcuador at theEstadio Nacional in Santiago, having won the penalty himself when fouled byMiller Bolaños.[91] In the team's next group fixture, Vidal scored twice – a header from a corner and another self-earned penalty – and set up another as the hosts drew 3–3 with Mexico on 15 June.[92] In the final group game, a 5–0 win againstBolivia three days after his drunk driving charge, Vidal andAlexis Sánchez were rested by being substituted at half-time.[93] On 4 July, in the2015 Copa América final, Vidal scored from a penalty in Chile's 4–1 shoot-out victory overArgentina;[94] in the final, he was votedMan of the Match,[95] and was later named to the2015 Copa América Team of the Tournament for his performances.[96]
On 10 June 2016, Vidal produced a man of the match performance, scoring both goals in a 2–1 win over Bolivia in Chile's second group match of theCopa América Centenario.[97] He provided two assists in Chile's 7–0 victory over Mexico in the quarter-final on 18 June, but also received his second booking of the tournament for a foul onJesús Dueñas in the 38th minute, which ruled him out of the victorious semi-final match againstColombia.[98] In thefinal of the tournament, a repeat of the previous year's tournament, against Argentina, the match once again went to a penalty shoot-out following a 0–0 deadlock after extra-time. Vidal missed Chile's first penalty, but his nation won the shoot-out 4–2 to defend the title.[99] Vidal was once again named to theTeam of the Tournament for his performances.[100]
On 18 June 2017, Vidal produced a man of the match performance[101] in Chile's opening match of the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, scoring his nation's first goal in an eventual 2–0 win overCameroon.[102] He and his team made it through to thefinal, but were prevented from crowning champions byGermany for losing 1–0.[103]
On 31 August 2017, Arturo Vidal announced that he could retire from the national team after he scored an own goal that resulted a 0–3 loss toParaguay.[104]
"Now they must be happy those tetchy [people] we have in our country!!! But don't worry, each time I'm closer to leaving."
On 11 October, he announced his retirement from international football via ofTwitter after losing 3–0 toBrazil in their lastqualifier match and failed to qualify for the2018 FIFA World Cup, but after just 24 hours he reversed his decision saying that he is a "warrior" who would "never abandon" Chile.[105][106]
In the quarter-finals of the2019 Copa América against Colombia on 28 June, Vidal had a goal disallowed in regulation time by VAR for offside; following a 0–0 draw, he scored in the resulting penalty shoot-out to help Chile to a 5–4 victory and advanced to the semi-finals of the competition.[108] In the third-place match against Argentina on 6 July, Vidal scored from a penalty once again in an eventual 2–1 defeat.[109]
It was these displays for Juventus that led him to be nicknamedIl Guerriero ("The Warrior"),Rey Arturo ("King Arthur") andLa Piranha by the Italian press for his hard-tackling and aggressive, tenacious style of play.[5][6] Vidal is a complete midfielder, known for his marking, positional sense, tackling, and anticipation, attributes which allow him to be effective at intercepting passes, winning back possession, and subsequently starting an attack.[111][122] He is also gifted with good technique, pace, and stamina, as well as good vision, good distribution, a powerful shot from distance, and an eye for goal.[111][113][116] Having been the first-choice penalty shooter for Juventus,[123] he is also an accuratepenalty kick taker.[124] Due to his strength and physical characteristics, as well as his ability to make late attack runs from behind into the penalty area, he is also effective in the air.[111][125] All these qualities have enabled him to become one of the leading exponents of his position.[122][126]
At Juventus, Vidal became an integral part of theBianconeri alongside teammatesClaudio Marchisio andAndrea Pirlo in the club's three-man midfield, and has made a name for himself as one of the best players in the world in his position;[10][11][12][13] Vidal credited his development and maturity as a player to club legends Pirlo andGianluigi Buffon.[127] Vidal is also considered one of the most complete midfielders in the world due to his tackling abilities and his ability to support the team in both defence and attack at a high level.[128] In 2013,Bloomberg ranked him the 11th-best player in Europe.[129]
On 5 July 2013,EA Sports announced that they had featured Vidal on the Central and South American cover ofFIFA 14, alongside global cover starLionel Messi.[130][131] The cover, however, would not be featured in the Brazilian version of the game.[132]
On 16 June 2015, during the2015 Copa América, Vidal suffered minor injuries when he crashed hisFerrari while under the influence of alcohol inSantiago. He left the hospital in a police car and was summoned to court to face charges fordrunk driving.[133] On 8 July 2015, Vidal was given a two-year driving ban, however he was allowed to continue playing in the Copa América that year.[134]
^"Festa Juve, rabbia Napoli" [Juve celebration, Napoli anger] (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 11 August 2012. Archived fromthe original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved30 July 2015.
^"La Signora e il Guerriero ancora insieme" [The [Old] Lady and the Warrior together again].juventus.com (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 3 December 2013. Retrieved14 April 2015.
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