Arturo Vidal believes he is making a step up by leaving Bayern Munich for Barcelona, revealing his delight to join “the best team in the world”.
The Chilean midfielder has signed a three-year contract at Camp Nou, his reported €20million switch bringing an end to a three-year stay in Germany.
It had been suggested former Juventus man Vidal was on the verge of returning to Serie A with Inter, but he is happy with his move and confident he can hit the ground running in LaLiga.
“I am very happy. This is the best team in the world, a step up to an even bigger club than Bayern Munich,” he told a news conference.
“It was always nice to play against players like [Lionel] Messi, because he is the best in history. Now I’m playing in the same team as Messi.
“I have to be up to the task, because these are the best players in the world.”
Pressed on his options in the off-season, Vidal replied: “My responsibility is to train hard. It’s not my decision [to negotiate with clubs].
“It’s down to my agent, but when he presented the option of Barcelona, I did not hesitate for a second. I wanted to play for the best team in the world.”
Vidal and Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League by Barca’s great rivals Real Madrid in each of the last two seasons, with the midfielder controversially sent off in 2016-17.
And while Vidal insist he does not have a problem with Madrid, he acknowledges that he is desperate to win a European title.
“My score to settle is winning the Champions League. I have not been able to win one yet,” he said. “I think I can do that with this team, the best team in the world.
“I am here for three years so I don’t just want to win one Champions League. Hopefully I can win three.”
A versatile and hard-working player who played several different defensive and midfield roles in his early years, Vidal eventually found his position at Juventus in the centre as a box-to-box midfielder, capable of assisting his teammates in both defense and attack. Throughout his career, he has also been deployed as a central defender, as a defensive midfielder, as an attacking midfielder, or even on the wing, due to his crossing ability.
It was these displays for Juventus that led him to be nicknamed Il Guerriero (“The Warrior”), Rey Arturo (“King Arthur”) and La Piranhaby the Italian press for his hard-tackling and aggressive, tenacious style of play. 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.
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. Having been the first-choice penalty shooter for Juventus, he is also an accurate penalty kick taker.Due to his strength and physical characteristics, he is also effective in the air. All these qualities have enabled him to become one of the leading exponents of his position