On the last day of his vacation, Arturo Vidal reported to his fans the way you do it these days as a professional footballer: via a self-referential live stream on a social network. The picture was dark and swaying, which was because Vidal was on a yacht off Ibiza. On the other hand, he might have swayed himself if he had got up, because what he had to say was not so easy to decipher; his language was more slurred than old jeans.
On the one hand, that was confirmation that the former FC Bayern professional and today’s FC Barcelona employee still likes to have a good time. On the other hand, it shows that Vidal has learned from the past: since his monumental accident at the Copa América 2015, in which a brand-new, not yet registered Ferrari fell victim, he has evidently practiced the famous motto: Don’t drink & drive. Especially now, in times of social distance.
Whereby: Vidal is obviously not lacking in social life and, as one hears in the Catalan capital, that contributes a considerable part to his reputation at FC Barcelona. Vidal, 33, is one of those players the undisputed leader of the team, Lionel Messi, likes to surround himself with.
When Messi throws beef on the grill with his neighbor Luis Suárez and has it cooked according to the best rules of South American art, Vidal is also one of the welcome guests. There are observers in the Catalan capital who see leader Messi’s favor as a factor in Vidal’s being considered seed when Barça face Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday.
In the proposed 4-4-2 system, he should occupy the midfield of four together with Busquets, Sergi Roberto and De Jong. Of course, there are also very convincing footballing reasons for this. Vidal is valued at Barça for bringing intensity and aggressiveness to an entire regiment, and that is not so pronounced among the fine-footed Barça professionals. Of course, this is also certain: If it weren’t for the closeness to Messi, it would be much easier for Barça’s leaders to send the Chileans away again. Because it offends at times.
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