A host of camera crews, photographers and reporters flocked to the media centre at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday afternoon for the official unveiling of Arturo Vidal as a Bayern player. Just over an hour after inking his new deal with Germany’s biggest club, the Chile international took delivery of the famous red shirt with his squad number 23 from sporting director Matthias Sammer.
“A dream’s come true for me today. I’ve played professionally for a few years now, but today is the perfect moment to be joining a huge club like FC Bayern. I’m very happy, I’ll do my very best and I obviously want to win trophies. That’s the most important thing to me,” the 28-year-old declared.
Vidal, a born winner
“We’re delighted we’ve been able to sign Arturo Vidal,” commented Sammer, praising the former Leverkusen and Juventus midfielder in glowing terms. “Arturo basically exemplifies, to use analytical language, all the complexity of football. He’s physically strong, a powerful player, technically skilled and tactically flexible. He’s a born winner,” the sporting director stated, “he’s very, very good news for our club.”
“He’s a magnificent footballer and exactly the type of player we need,” agreed Xabi Alonso. “He’s shown how good he is for Juve and also for his national team. He knows his way around the Bundesliga too. He’ll make us a lot stronger as a team. He can play a number of positions.” Vidal recently inspired Chile to their maiden South American championship triumph, a fact noted by keeper Manuel Neuer: “He’s a world-class midfielder. He was strong at the Copa America and in the Champions League final. We have high hopes for him.”
Four-time champ with Juve
Vidal is thrilled to be back in the Bundesliga, where he made 117 appearances for Leverkusen between 2007 and 2011. “It was my first stop in Europe and I’m really pleased to be back,” he said. Vidal finished as a runner-up in the league with Bayer before departing for Italy. “There’s one thing I have to do, and that’s win the Bundesliga,” he said, “I didn’t manage it with Leverkusen so I’ll give it a go now with FC Bayern.”
Turin giants Juventus and Vidal recently won a fourth Italian Serie A title on the trot, “so he’s already done what we’re aiming to do this season,” observed Sammer. “We need key players who’ve been there before. We’re very pleased and satisfied he’s in our shirt now.” Vidal himself is hoping “to win the affection of the fans and the club step by step and use every possible opportunity to break into the starting eleven.”
Vidal sees no reason why he should abandon his physically robust approach to the game: “I don’t think I’ll have to change the way I play. I’ll need to demonstrate my physical strengths if I’m to be important for Bayern.” He feels he has come on as a player in Serie A: “I’ve matured and won lots of trophies. It’s the right point in time to come here. I’m ready to wear the Bayern Munich shirt.”
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