Five things you might not know about Arturo Vidal

From his remarkable title-winning run to the origins of his famous mohawk hairstyle…

He won eight league titles in a row

Few players have a collection of medals quite like Arturo Vidal’s. In fact, he’s won league titles in every country he’s ever played in: three with Colo-Colo in his native Chile; four Italian Serie A titles with Juventus; three German Bundesliga winner’s medals with Bayern Munich; then the 2018/19 LaLiga Santander title with Barcelona. Between 2011-2019, he won eight consecutive league titles across Italy, Germany and Spain.

He comes with the Pep Guardiola seal of approval

Pep coached Rey Arturo (‘King Arthur’) at Bayern Munich and was particularly fond of the Chilean. Even though some didn’t see him fitting in to Pep’s system, Vidal proved the doubters wrong and Pep often praised the player’s tactical awareness. Guardiola also loved Vidal’s grit and determination: “If I go into war, then I want Vidal alongside me,” he once said.

He had a near-death experience as a child

When Arturo was a young boy, his mother Jacqueline Pardo saved him and his siblings from a fire at their home. Vidal has always spoken very highly of his mother, but not only because she saved him from that near-death experience – he’s also spoken of how she worked hard washing floors to provide for the family when he and his siblings were growing up.

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The story behind his Mohawk hairstyle

Vidal is famous for his Mohawk hairstyle, a style not seen often in the football world. He has revealed was inspired by former Germany and Bayern Munich full-back Christian Ziege, who rocked the look back in the 1990s and matched it with a playing style as aggressive as Vidal’s. Arturo says he wanted to replicate that look, while giving it his own personal touch in the process.

He absolutely loves horses

Away from the football pitch, Vidal is a huge fan of horses and all things equestrian. As a boy he made extra money cleaning stables and now owns a stable of his own in Chile and almost 50 horses who race at the Club Hipico de Santiago, a thoroughbred horse track in the Chilean capital.