Chilean international Arturo Vidal, returning to Chilean club Colo Colo after 17 years spent in Europe and Brazil, on Tuesday ruled out the idea of pre-retirement from professional football, saying he wanted to make his club competitive. “Some (footballers) come back to retire, for sentimental reasons. It’s not my case. My decision was different. I came back here to compete, to fight and to fight for several more years with Colo Colo to achieve important things,” Vidal said during a press conference at the Monumental stadium in Santiago.
“I am very happy to be back home after almost 17 years (…) I come back with many dreams fulfilled abroad. I am happy. I think it was the right time to come back,” said the former Barcelona and Bayern player. Considered by many to be the best Chilean footballer in history, Vidal won numerous national championships and cups with FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Inter Milan.
The 36-year-old also won the 2022 Copa Libertadores with Brazilian club Flamengo, but he never managed to return to his best. Major player of the golden generation who won two Copa America (2015 and 2016), Chile’s only titles, he also played in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and in Brazil in 2014. Also played for Brazilian clubs of Flamengo and Atletico Paranaence, Vidal finds Colo Colo with whom he will have the challenge of winning the local championship again, after finishing third in the last exercise, and qualifying for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
