Barcelona’s new signing Arturo Vidal reveals personal inspiration for football success

New Barcelona signing Arturo Vidal has revealed “playing on the streets” in a “dangerous neighbourhood” as a child was a big reason behind his continued success as a footballer.

Vidal left Bayern Munich for Barcelona earlier this month. He scored 22 goals in 123 appearances for the Bundesliga champions, winning three league titles along the way.

Prior to his time in Germany, the 31-year-old won four successive Serie A titles with Juventus, and will now be aiming to be part of a dominant side in a third European country.

Speaking after sealing his move to Barcelona, Vidal revealed how his roots as a street footballer have aided his success in the game.

“I’m a player from the ‘barrio’, the streets, and it’s nice for people to see that,” Vidal said, according to Marca.

“I’ve had to make many sacrifices and I want to show everyone where I’m from. Everything I’ve gained on the field, I feel proud about because I leave everything on the pitch, nothing has been easy for me.

“When I was young I lived in a dangerous neighbourhood, I had a very hard childhood. My mother took care of five brothers alone and she sacrificed a lot and, thanks to her, now I can give her a better life.

“The first time I tried [to sign for Colo Colo before I was 12 years old] we did not have enough money for the journeys or equipment, we needed the money at home.”

Vidal’s playing career began in his home country of Chile with Colo Colo, who he left for Bayer Leverkusen in 2007.

The midfielder is one of only seven players to have made 100 appearances for the Chilean national team. He has scored 24 goals for his country.

Vidal could make his La Liga debut when Barcelona take on Alaves at Camp Nou on Saturday.

The post Barcelona’s new signing Arturo Vidal reveals personal inspiration for football success appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2Bh8sXt

No comments:

Post a Comment