Arturo Vidal

Colo-Colo

Vidal's professional debut came in the first leg of the 2006 Torneo Apertura final against arch-rivals Universidad de Chile. Vidal came on as a late substitute for Gonzalo 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's Copa Sudamericana 2006 campaign. His good showing caught the eye of scouts from various European clubs.

Bayer Leverkusen

The 2007 Apertura Tournament was Vidal's last with Colo-Colo as he left for Bayer Leverkusen in the summer. Bayer had tracked his progress for some time and his good showing at the U-20 World Cup that year convinced Bayer Leverkusen director of football Rudi Völler to make the trip to Chile to convince the 20-year-old to sign. The two clubs then agreed on a fee of US$11 million with Bayer Leverkusen, paying $7.7 million for 70% ownership of his contract. His transfer broke the previous national record of Matías Fernández's $9 million transfer to Villarreal. 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 an 1–0 away loss against Hamburger SV. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over Hannover 96 on 23 September 2007. He was ever present for the 2008–09 season and played a vital…

Youth

Vidal represented Chile at the Under-20 level at the 2007 South American Youth Championship in Paraguay 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 the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup where Chile finished in third place with Vidal scoring two goals in the tournament, including the match winner against Portugal in the round of 16.

Senior

2010 World Cup, 2011 Copa América and 2014 World Cup

Vidal made his senior debut in a friendly against Venezuela, where Chile won 1–0. He became a regular under Marcelo Bielsa when fit during 2010 World Cup qualifying, playing in 11 matches and scoring a goal. 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 by Brazil in the round of 16. Vidal went on to appear in all of the team's matches at the 2011 Copa América, scoring in the 2–1 group stage defeat of Mexico. Vidal scored 5 times in 11 appearances for Chile as the team qualified for the 2014 World Cup. At the tournament, he started in three of the La Roja's four fixtures, including the penalty shootout loss to Brazil in the round of 16.

2015 Copa América

On 11 June 2015, five days after appearing the 2015 Champions League final for Juventus, Vidal scored the opening goal of the 2015 Copa América from the penalty spot in Chile's 2–0 win over Ecuador at the Estadio…

A tactically versatile and hard-working player, Vidal is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, and in several different formations. He initially played in several different defensive and midfield roles in his early years, before eventually coming into his own in the centre, with Juventus, as either a "mezzala" or box-to-box midfielder, roles in which he is capable of assisting his teammates in both defence 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. He is also capable of playing as a full-back or wing-back on either side of the pitch, while with the Chile national team, he has even played in a more advanced role on occasion, positioned as a centre-forward or striker, but effectively functioning as a false-9. He has also been used as a second striker, and as a false attacking midfielder on occasion. It was these displays for Juventus that led him to be nicknamed Il Guerriero ("The Warrior"), Rey Arturo ("King Arthur") and La Piranha by the Italian press for his tackling and aggressive 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. Having been the first-choice penalty shooter for Juventus, he is also an accurate penalty kick taker. Due…

Vidal was born in San Joaquín, a working class commune in the Chilean capital Santiago. His talent was noticed by his uncle, and he later joined the youth squads of local Primera División club Colo-Colo.