Arturo Vidal facts for kids

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Vidal and the second or maternal family name is Pardo.

Quick facts for kids
Arturo Vidal

Vidal with Colo-Colo in 2024

Personal information

Full name

Arturo Erasmo Vidal Pardo

Date of birth

22 May 1987 (age 38)

Place of birth

San Joaquin, Santiago, Chile

Height

1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Position(s)

Midfielder

Team information

Current team

Colo-Colo

Number

Youth career

Rodelindo Román

Melipilla

Colo-Colo

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2005–2007

Colo-Colo

(2)

2007–2011

Bayer Leverkusen

117

(15)

2011–2015

Juventus

124

(35)

2015–2018

Bayern Munich

(14)

2018–2020

Barcelona

(11)

2020–2022

Inter Milan

(2)

2022–2023

Flamengo

(2)

2023–2024

Athletico Paranaense

(2)

2024–

Colo-Colo

(6)

International career^‡

2006–2007

Chile U20

(8)

2007–

Chile

147

(34)

Medal record

Copa América

Men's football
Representing Chile
Winner	2015 Chile
Winner	2016 United States
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up	2017 Russia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third	2007 Canada

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:50, 20 July 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:54, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

Arturo Erasmo Vidal Pardo (born 22 May 1987) is a famous Chilean footballer. He plays as a midfielder for the Chilean club Colo-Colo and the Chile national team. People often call him Il Guerriero ("The Warrior") or Rey Arturo ("King Arthur"). He got these nicknames because of his strong and determined way of playing. Many consider him one of the best Chilean players ever.

Vidal started his football journey with Colo-Colo in Chile, where he won three league titles. He then moved to Europe to play for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for four seasons. In 2011, he joined Juventus in Italy, where he became known as one of the world's top midfielders. At Juventus, he won the Italian league title (Scudetto) four times in a row. He also helped them reach the Champions League final in 2015.

After Juventus, Vidal returned to Germany to play for Bayern Munich in 2015. There, he won three more Bundesliga titles. In 2018, he moved to Spanish club Barcelona, winning another league title. He then went back to Italy to play for Inter Milan in 2020, adding another Serie A title and a Coppa Italia to his collection. After playing for Flamengo and Athletico Paranaense, Vidal returned to his first club, Colo-Colo, in 2024.

Arturo Vidal has played over 140 games for the Chile national team since 2007. He helped Chile win the Copa América in 2015 and 2016. He also played in the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and 2014, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.

Early Life and Football Start

Arturo Vidal was born in San Joaquín, a working-class area in Santiago, Chile. His uncle noticed his football talent early on. Because of this, Arturo joined the youth teams of a local top-division club, Colo-Colo.

Club Career Highlights

Playing for Colo-Colo

Vidal made his first professional appearance in 2006. It was in a big final match against Universidad de Chile. Colo-Colo won that game and the championship. In the next season, he became a key player and helped his team win another championship. His strong performances caught the attention of European clubs.

Moving to Bayer Leverkusen

In 2007, Vidal left Colo-Colo to join Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. The club had been watching him for a while. His great play at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup convinced them to sign him. He quickly became a regular player and helped Bayer Leverkusen reach the German Cup final in 2009. In his last season with Bayer (2010–11), he helped the team finish second in the Bundesliga. He also provided many assists for his teammates.

Success with Juventus

Joining the Italian Giants

Vidal playing for Juventus in 2012

On 22 July 2011, Vidal moved to Serie A club Juventus in Italy. He made his first appearance for Juventus on 11 September 2011. He scored a goal just six minutes after coming onto the field in a 4–1 win. He quickly became a very important part of the team's midfield.

Winning Titles with Juventus

Vidal was a key player when Juventus won the Italian league title in the 2011–12 season without losing a single game. He scored seven goals and made three assists that season. In his second season, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against Chelsea. He helped Juventus win their second league title in a row, scoring 10 league goals.

Scoring a Hat-Trick

Vidal playing for Juventus in 2013

On 27 November 2013, Vidal scored three goals in one game against Copenhagen in the Champions League. This was his first hat-trick in his career. He then signed a new contract to stay with Juventus until 2017. He continued to score many goals, helping Juventus win their third league title in a row.

Reaching the Champions League Final

In his fourth season with Juventus (2014–15), Vidal played in a more attacking role. He scored important goals, including one against Monaco in the Champions League quarter-finals. On 2 May 2015, he scored the only goal in a win against Sampdoria, which confirmed Juventus as Serie A champions for the fourth time in a row. He also helped Juventus win the Italian Cup, completing a domestic double. On 6 June 2015, Vidal played in the Champions League final against Barcelona, but Juventus lost 3–1.

Time with Bayern Munich

First Season in Germany

On 28 July 2015, Vidal returned to Germany to join Bayern Munich. He made his debut a few days later in the German Supercup. He scored his first goal for Bayern in a cup match. On 19 September, he scored his first league goal for the club. He also scored two goals in the Champions League quarter-finals against S.L. Benfica, helping Bayern reach the semi-finals.

More Trophies with Bayern

Vidal training with Bayern Munich in 2017

On 15 August 2016, Vidal scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the German Supercup. He scored two goals in a big 5–1 win against Arsenal in the Champions League round of sixteen. In his last game of the season, Vidal scored a goal in a 4–1 win over SC Freiburg. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title three times in a row during his time there.

Playing for Barcelona

Vidal (left) playing for Barcelona in 2019

On 3 August 2018, Vidal joined Barcelona in Spain. He signed a three-year contract. He made his debut on 12 August 2018, helping Barcelona win the Spanish Super Cup. On 28 October, Vidal scored his first goal for Barcelona in a huge 5–1 win over rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico. On 27 April 2019, he helped set up the winning goal by Lionel Messi to secure the La Liga title for Barcelona. His last match with Barcelona was an 8–2 defeat to his former club Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Inter Milan and Other Clubs

On 22 September 2020, Vidal moved back to Italy to play for Inter Milan. He scored his first goal for Inter in the Italian Cup in January 2021. A few days later, he scored his first league goal for Inter against his old club Juventus. He helped Inter win the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia.

After Inter, Vidal joined Flamengo in Brazil on 14 July 2022. He scored his first goal for Flamengo on 30 July. He then played for Athletico Paranaense in Brazil in July 2023.

Return to Colo-Colo

On 22 January 2024, Arturo Vidal made an exciting return to his first club, Colo-Colo, after seventeen years away.

International Career for Chile

Youth Team Success

Vidal played for the Chile Under-20 team in 2007. He was the second-highest scorer in the South American Youth Championship with six goals. He helped the team qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where Chile finished in third place. Vidal scored two goals in that tournament.

Playing for the Senior National Team

World Cup and Copa América Appearances

Vidal tackling Brazil's Kaká during the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Vidal made his debut for the senior Chile national team in 2007. He became a regular player and helped Chile qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played in all four of Chile's matches in that tournament. He also played in the 2011 Copa América, scoring a goal against Mexico. Vidal scored five goals to help Chile qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in three of Chile's four games in that tournament.

Winning the Copa América

On 11 June 2015, Vidal scored the first goal of the 2015 Copa América from a penalty kick in Chile's 2–0 win over Ecuador. In the next game, he scored two goals and set up another in a 3–3 draw with Mexico. On 4 July, in the final against Argentina, Vidal scored in the penalty shootout. Chile won the shootout 4–1, winning the Copa América title! He was named Man of the Match in the final and was part of the Team of the Tournament.

Defending the Title

In the Copa América Centenario in 2016, Vidal scored both goals in a 2–1 win over Bolivia. He also provided two assists in Chile's big 7–0 victory over Mexico in the quarter-finals. In the final, which was again against Argentina, the game went to a penalty shootout. Even though Vidal missed Chile's first penalty, his team won the shootout 4–2, defending their title! He was again named to the Team of the Tournament.

FIFA Confederations Cup

On 18 June 2017, Vidal scored Chile's first goal in a 2–0 win over Cameroon in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He and his team reached the final, but they lost 1–0 to Germany.

Recent International Matches

In the quarter-finals of the 2019 Copa América against Colombia, Vidal had a goal disallowed. However, he scored in the penalty shootout, helping Chile win 5–4. In the third-place match against Argentina, Vidal scored another penalty, though Chile lost 2–1.

On 27 March 2018, Vidal played his 100th game for Chile, a big milestone for any footballer.

How Arturo Vidal Plays

Arturo Vidal is a very flexible and hard-working player. He can play in many different positions in the midfield. He is known for being a "box-to-box midfielder", meaning he helps both in defense and attack. He can also play as a defensive midfielder or an attacking midfielder. Sometimes, he even plays further forward as a striker for Chile.

His nicknames, Il Guerriero ("The Warrior") and Rey Arturo ("King Arthur"), describe his strong and determined style. Vidal is excellent at winning the ball back, tackling, and reading the game. He also has good technique, speed, and lots of energy. He can pass well, shoot powerfully from far away, and score goals. He is also good at taking penalty kicks. Because of his strength and ability to run into the penalty area, he is also good at heading the ball. All these skills make him one of the best midfielders in the world.

Sponsorships

On 5 July 2013, EA Sports announced that Arturo Vidal was featured on the cover of the video game FIFA 14 for Central and South America, alongside global star Lionel Messi.

Personal Life

Arturo Vidal's cousin, Gonzalo Vásquez, used to be a footballer and is now an engineer. Vidal's younger sister, Victoria, is married to fellow Chilean footballer Daniel Malhue. They have a son. In March 2020, Vidal and another Chilean footballer, Gary Medel, donated to the Chilean Red Cross to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. In December 2024, Vidal completed his studies to become a football manager at the National Institute of Football in Chile.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Colo-Colo	2005	Chilean Primera División	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
	2006	Chilean Primera División	19	0	—		12	3	—		31	3
	2007	Chilean Primera División	15	2	—		8	0	—		23	2
	Total		36	2	—		20	3	—		56	5
Bayer Leverkusen	2007–08	Bundesliga	24	1	0	0	9	0	—		33	1
	2008–09	Bundesliga	29	3	6	3	—		—		35	6
	2009–10	Bundesliga	31	1	1	0	—		—		32	1
	2010–11	Bundesliga	33	10	2	1	9	2	—		44	13
	Total		117	15	9	4	18	2	—		144	21
Juventus	2011–12	Serie A	33	7	2	0	—		—		35	7
	2012–13	Serie A	31	10	4	1	9	3	1	1	45	15
	2013–14	Serie A	32	11	1	0	12	7	1	0	46	18
	2014–15	Serie A	28	7	4	0	12	1	1	0	45	8
	Total		124	35	11	1	33	11	3	1	171	48
Bayern Munich	2015–16	Bundesliga	30	4	6	1	11	2	1	0	48	7
	2016–17	Bundesliga	27	4	5	1	8	3	1	1	41	9
	2017–18	Bundesliga	22	6	5	0	7	0	1	0	35	6
	Total		79	14	16	2	26	5	3	1	124	22
Barcelona	2018–19	La Liga	33	3	8	0	11	0	1	0	53	3
	2019–20	La Liga	33	8	2	0	7	0	1	0	43	8
	Total		66	11	10	0	18	0	2	0	96	11
Inter Milan	2020–21	Serie A	23	1	3	1	4	0	—		30	2
	2021–22	Serie A	28	1	5	0	7	1	1	0	41	2
	Total		51	2	8	1	11	1	1	0	71	4
Flamengo	2022	Série A	15	2	6	0	5	0	—		26	2
	2023	Série A	6	0	2	0	5	0	12	0	25	0
	Total		21	2	8	0	10	0	12	0	51	2
Athletico Paranaense	2023	Série A	7	0	0	0	2	0	—		9	0
Colo-Colo	2024	Chilean Primera División	19	4	5	2	10	1	1	1	35	8
	2025	Chilean Primera División	10	2	2	0	5	0	0	0	17	2
	Total		29	6	7	2	15	1	1	1	52	10
Career total			533	87	69	10	153	23	22	3	777	123

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Chile	2007	8	0
	2008	6	0
	2009	7	1
	2010	7	1
	2011	11	1
	2012	5	1
	2013	8	4
	2014	10	1
	2015	11	4
	2016	13	7
	2017	12	3
	2018	7	3
	2019	10	2
	2020	4	4
	2021	12	0
	2022	6	1
	2023	5	1
	2024	2	0
	2025	3	0
Total		147	34

Scores and results list Chile's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Arturo Vidal
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 September 2009	Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago, Chile	Venezuela	1–0	2–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	17 November 2010	Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago, Chile	Uruguay	2–0	2–0	Friendly
3.	4 July 2011	Estadio del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina	Mexico	2–1	2–1	2011 Copa América
4.	2 June 2012	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia	Bolivia	2–0	2–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	7 June 2013	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay	Paraguay	2–0	2–1
6.	11 June 2013	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Bolivia	3–1	3–1
7.	6 September 2013	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Venezuela	3–0	3–0
8.	11 October 2013	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia	Colombia	1–0	3–3
9.	14 October 2014	Estadio Municipal Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso, Coquimbo, Chile	Bolivia	2–2	2–2	Friendly
10.	11 June 2015	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Ecuador	1–0	2–0	2015 Copa América
11.	15 June 2015		Mexico	1–1	3–3
12.	15 June 2015		Mexico	3–2	3–3
13.	12 November 2015		Colombia	1–0	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
14.	29 March 2016	Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela	Venezuela	3–1	4–1
15.	29 March 2016	Estadio Agustín Tovar, Barinas, Venezuela	Venezuela	4–1	4–1
16.	10 June 2016	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States	Bolivia	1–0	2–1	Copa América Centenario
17.	10 June 2016	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States	Bolivia	2–1	2–1	Copa América Centenario
18.	1 September 2016	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay	Paraguay	1–2	1–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
19.	11 October 2016	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Peru	1–0	2–1
20.	11 October 2016		Peru	2–1	2–1
21.	2 June 2017		Burkina Faso	1–0	3–0	Friendly
22.	2 June 2017		Burkina Faso	2–0	3–0	Friendly
23.	18 June 2017	Otkritie Arena, Moscow, Russia	Cameroon	1–0	2–0	2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
24.	24 March 2018	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden	Sweden	1–0	2–1	Friendly
25.	20 November 2018	Estadio Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile	Honduras	1–0	4–1
26.	20 November 2018	Estadio Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile	Honduras	2–0	4–1
27.	6 July 2019	Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil	Argentina	1–2	1–2	2019 Copa América
28.	15 October 2019	Estadio José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain	Guinea	3–1	3–2	Friendly
29.	13 October 2020	Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Colombia	1–1	2–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
30.	13 November 2020		Peru	1–0	2–0
31.	13 November 2020		Peru	2–0	2–0
32.	17 November 2020	Estadio Olímpico de la UCV, Caracas, Venezuela	Venezuela	1–1	1–2
33.	27 September 2022	Franz Horr Stadium, Vienna, Austria	Qatar	2–2	2–2	Friendly
34.	8 September 2023	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay	Uruguay	1–3	1–3	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification