Arturo Vidal has had a long and extremely successful career. In Chile he has been considered a folk hero since winning the South American Championship in 2015. Now the midfielder has returned to his boyhood club Colo Colo in Santiago de Chile.
The welcome show in the sold-out stadium was quite something: the 36-year-old first landed in a helicopter at the capital’s Monumental Stadium on Thursday. Then he rode through the arena on a horse wearing a cape, crown and sword, waving to the Chilean club’s supporters with a smile. Numerous supporters held up jerseys with Vidal’s name in the air.
A long career began 17 years ago
Vidal moved to Bayer Leverkusen 17 years ago to start his international career. This was followed by positions at Juventus Turin, FC Bayern, FC Barcelona and Inter Milan, becoming champions in all three countries. A year and a half ago he moved to Brazil to the clubs Flamengo and Paranaense. Now he has returned home.