Secrets of Arturo Vidal in Quarantine

Arturo Vidalu has too much time, and his beard is two inches longer than usual. Days pass slowly in Barcelona, ​​in the mansion that the Blaugrana club has assigned to a white, two-story Chilean midfielder, with a large patio and large pool. The king is in the same house that the Brazilian Paulinho used in front of him, no more than 10 minutes by car from the Ciutat Esportiva de Sant Joan Despí, the training center of his current institution. In a rich residential area, but away from the luxurious coastal area where Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez or Ivan Rakitić reside.

There is a king Accompanied by his partner, the Colombian Sonia Izaz; his personal physical trainer and true confessor Juan Ramirez; a Chilean chef working for him and a couple of friends who were confronted with quarantine, living under the same roof. There is a midfielder who for many considers the great Elias Figueroa to be the best Creole football player of all time, hoping that everything will be as before or as close as possible to the desired normality.

Very well equipped gym. Basketball hoop in the yard. High-quality computer and mobile phone, your best allies. Two-time champion of America with the national team seeks to complete the days separately from the training field. Near his sons Alonso, Elizabeth and Emiliano, but also very far away. The social isolation established on March 15 in Spain does not allow him to meet often with his children, despite the fact that they live in a house next to him, with his mother, Vidal’s ex-wife, Maria Theresa Matus. Video calls somewhat compensate for this lack. Yesterday, many days later, he was able to share with his children. Social networks are your channel with the outside world, mainly in Chile.

What is a “normal” day (very quoted) during home imprisonment? King Arthur himself describes it Third From home: “I leave early in the afternoon, I train. That is why the work we do with Juan Ramirez is very important. I also have a gym with some exercise equipment at home, and it helps to work the routine, “the player says.

Although it was the same Barcelona, ​​which demanded the conclusion of the players, control over the composition, according to Vidal, is not reduced. But, of course, this will never be the same footballer who loves to play one hundred percent before training pichanga. “There are recommendations that the club gives, and we are constantly in touch, but this is not the same as teamwork on the field. It’s overlooked, “he says.

The truth is that as much as he tries to lead the life of an athlete at home, his leisure hours have multiplied. A person born in San Joaquin takes this period to sleep, chat and watch the campaigns he runs from Barcelona: #TodosconlaCamshirt and #JuegadeLocal are the slogans that he promotes, the first on his own initiative (in collaboration with Gary Medel) and the second, Since January, he has been associated with the Budweiser beer brand, which has promised to donate 10,000 units of alcohol gel to combat Covid-19. Both attempts to benefit the Chilean Red Cross.

“I watch TV and am well aware of what is happening with Coronavirus, especially here and in Chile, but mostly I devote my free time to talking with my family. I spend a lot of time in training and talk a lot with friends. So the idea of ​​the campaign “Everything with a T-shirt” was born, which we created with Gary to help those who need this crisis through the Red Cross, ”he says. What happens to coronavirus, especially in Chile, really upsets him, according to an interview with a marketing and advertising agency that advises him (Vibra, owned by Fernando Felichevich): “Watch it every day and throughout the whole time people die in the world without being with children, as I would like, everything is different. This is a constant problem, like a nightmare that is getting worse and worse. ”

But already entering his most personal tastes, there are two things that take Vidal away from his sleep. His most intimate projects. El Rodelindo Román, his next-door club, which he acquired and already has in Division A 3; and Stud Advidal, where he turns his other great passion, horseback riding.

Unlike what Marcelo Salas did at Deportes Temuco, the king announced a few days ago that he was not going to cut supplies for football officials. Although the list is not professional (Third A is still an amateur category), players receive “props” that have not been demoted. The same applies to the technical bodies of all series that have an employment contract, and to football schools that continue to receive their contributions, although due to the pandemic they are not working today. In total, Vidal invests about 700 million pesos per year in Rodelindo. In calm time, the midfielder has the habit of communicating once a week with the administrative and sports area of ​​the club. In the quarantine period, this contact is carried out daily and more often than once a day. In the next few days, he is due to announce a social plan to double the support of his people in Rodelindo. Soccer players and workers.

What about horseback riding? Those who know Arturo claim that the world of horses and racing ignites him even more than football. One of the friends who lives in his house in Barcelona today is Umberto Alvarez, who always accompanies him in his equestrian projects (the other is Esteban Colipe, a childhood friend in San Joaquin). “If there is something that makes Arturo desperate, even more than football, it is that there are no races. This is bad, ”says a close midfielder. Confirmation is confirmed by the fact that the same figure of Blaugrana conveys to this medium when he foresees that he will do first of all, as soon as the restrictions in Spain and Chile are over: “Being with family and meeting friends. Also look at my horses, ”he says.

Of course, when it comes to answering what is strangest in freedom, Vidal has no doubt what is at the top of his list: “To be able to share, physical contact with the people you love the most.” It is clear that the sanitary separation from his sons and daughter makes the player very uncomfortable, who is more distinguished by his cruelty and militancy than tenderness. And football, don’t you miss? “Obviously, I miss the game too. To be with colleagues and live in the locker room. ”

Indeed, about the sport that feeds him, he does not want to go so deep. You may be feeling insecure in your near future. Not only during the pandemic, but also after the crisis. The official Barca media again sent him to Italy, in particular to Inter Milan, to Serie A, almost like a trump card to achieve the signing of a contract with Lautaro Martinez. His current coach, meanwhile, outlined a defense in which he also put him in technical inferiority to his teammates: “It’s true, maybe Arturo may not have the quality that other players have, but he compensates for this with other advantages that come to us very well, ”assured Quique Setién in the Spanish network RAC1.

The inner world of Vidal was full of cliques. One of the most important things is to dress up the appearance of the mohawk before each game, which already makes it stand out on all the courts of the planet. A personal stylist who goes home and sacredly performs this ritual. A simple task that is interrupted by the coronavirus. That is why a national star with a lot of hair on the sides of the head was recently spotted. This was not out of pleasure, but out of necessity, as long as he had no choice but to act independently in order to revive the partisan style that he cultivates. With his beard, he does everything he can, although carelessness ended with the appearance of gray hair on his chin.

When football returns, the authentic Mohicans will return if the midfielder maintains his mystical customs. When football returns, important challenges will come for the 32-year-old character (he turns 33 May 22), who wants to win the Champions League in a certain format and play the last world championship with the national team. As for the Reds, the start of the qualifying competitions for Qatar in 2022 was scheduled for September. How will Chile arrive after an almost creative holiday under the command of Reynaldo Rueda? Badly beaten? Arturo firmly replies: “All teams will arrive with the same stop times. Coronavirus affected everyone equally. It is true that as a team we will have a long time without a game, but we are professionals, and most of us know each other. It helps a lot every time we play for the national team. ” He is signed by the king from his monastery in Barcelona, ​​where time is superfluous, and his beard at this time of the day should be about seven centimeters longer.