Arturo Vidal was one of the most polarizing footballers of the last decade, with a section of fans loving him and another finding him to be such a dislikeable figure. Whether you like it or not, the one fact that cannot be denied was his talent as a player.
After a fine 2010-11 campaign with Bayer Leverkusen, Vidal eventually made the move to Serie A giants Juventus for a €10.5 million transfer fee. His league debut came against Parma on 11th September 2011, as he came on as a second-half substitute for the legendary Alessandro Del Piero. Just 6 minutes later, the Chilean midfielder scored his first goal as Juve thrashed their opponents 4-1.
Vidal's impressive displays at Juve led many to believe that he would replace Claudio Marchisio in the starting eleven, but manager Antonio Conte instead deployed a 3-5-2 system which had Vidal, Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo in midfield.
The move was a tactical masterclass by Conte, as the Bianconeri won that year's Serie A without suffering a single defeat. Vidal was instrumental in the success, as he finished his debut campaign with 7 league goals and 3 assists.
Let us now look at the rest of his time with the Old Lady.
Increased influence
Vidal began his second season with Juve on a bright note, as he scored a penalty goal in their 4-2 Supercoppa Italiana victory over Napoli on 11th August 2012. In the months that followed, Vidal established himself as one of the most crucial players for the Bianconeri. He scored several important goals throughout the season, both in Serie A and the Champions League.
Juventus finished their season with a second consecutive league title victory, with Vital yet again being a vital part of it with 10 league goals.
The Chilean finished the season with 15 goals in all competitions, and his fine performances saw him voted as Player of the Year by registered users on the club website juventus.com.
A memorable hat-trick and another league triumph
It was on 27th November 2013 that Vidal scored his first career hat-trick against Copenhagen in the Champions League. It was quite a memorable feat, as it made him the first Juventus player to score three goals in a Champions League game since Filippo Inzaghi in 2000 against Hamburg.
Vidal's increasing stock as a player also led to Juve renewing his contract till 2017. The Chilean also scored his first Europa League goal that season against Trabzonspor.
He ended that season with an impressive 18 goals (11 in the league), and was yet again vital in the Bianconeri's third straight league title win. Vidal's season ended prematurely that year though, as he suffered a knee injury.
Final season
In Vidal's fourth season with the Old Lady, manager Massimiliano Allegri made the Chilean operator in a more advanced role. Vidal's versatility was efficiently utilized by Allegri, who tweaked the team's tactics whenever required and made the Chilean play either as an attacking midfielder to support strikers or a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.
Vidal continued his impressive form at Juve, scoring crucial goals in both domestic and European fixtures. He scored the only goal in their 1-0 victory over Sampdoria on 24th May 2015, which confirmed their fourth straight domestic title.
This was followed by Juventus clinching the 2015 Coppa Italia with a 2-1 victory over Lazio. Thus, they managed to achieve a domestic double.
Vidal and Juventus were on the verge of achieving a historical treble, as they reached that year's Champions League final. However, they were outclassed by an outstanding Barcelona side that beat them 3-1.
That was also the end of his time at Juventus, as decided to join Bayern Munich for a fresh chapter in his football career.
