BARCELONA
Vidal on tattoos, his mo-hawk and some advice for Dembélé
Arturo Vidal gave an interview to L'Equipe and talks about his tattoos, mo-hawk, winning the Champions League and his Barcelona teammate Ousmané Dembélé.
Arturo Vidal was interviewed by L'Equipe and spoke about Barcelona's desire to win the Champions League, his tattoos and the origin story of his very unique look. He also spoke about his teammate, Ousmané Dembélé, who has lived through a rollercoaster of a journey since joining the club in 2017.
"I did it after the under-20 World Cup in 2007," he said about his mo-hawk. "I remember a German player (Christian Ziege) had it in the World Cup in 2002 and it's super-aggressive and puts fear in the opponent. I wanted to do something like that and I create a personality for myself."
"I started in Italy and I have more than 30," he said. "But I have a space reserved here (his stomach) for the Champions League." He expanded on that by saying: "My obsession is the European Cup. This year I really believe it, because I am on the best team in the world and Ithe strongest physically to go to the end for all of the titles."
Vidal's best coaches
"Conte was essential in my development," he said. "He was a bit like me when I was a player and I learned a lot about defensive positioning from him but also attacking. Thanks to him, I started to score a lot of goals and tactically, he is a monster."
And there's also Pep: "He gave me a lot. His way of seeing football, his teaching, his science of play had to always be simple but fast."
He also had some advice to give his younger teammate, Ousmané Dembélé: "He is a footballer with a crazy amount of talent. When he matures, he will be an important player for France and Barcelona. But clearly, he has to mature, listen to his body, be prepared to avoid injuries. If he wants to be the best, he has to wake up, eat and sleep thinking about football. I think he will realise at some point that he has to do more."
"I speak to him a lot," he continued. "He is a good kid and first one who wants to be the best. He arrived at Barcelona at 20 years of age and without any experience almost. Dembélé has to be conscious of what he wants in life, know where he wants to play and with whom. I see development and he has to continue like that."