Vidal was more King Arthur than ever on his return to Colo-Colo: he descended by helicopter and did the Olympic tour on horseback with cloak, crown and sword

A unique, unforgettable and unusual celebration Arturo Vidal, in his majestic presentation in front of the Colo-Colo fans upon his return to Chilean football after 17 years traveling around the world. The historic midfielder not only arrived by helicopter at the Monumental stadium, but also took an Olympic tour of the pitch on the back of a black horse and dressed in the style of the legend of King Arthur, with crown, cloak and sword. Exceptional.

“I would be lying if I said I had ever dreamed of something like this. It was really beautiful to see the stadium full. I don’t know if anything like this has been seen in any other country,” she later said at a press conference because when she had the opportunity to speak to the 35,000 people in attendance, his words were drowned in tears of emotion.

“It’s very difficult,” he managed to pronounce in front of the microphone, in the central circle of the field of the Chilean capital’s national team, packed to welcome the 36-year-old footballer who returns to the team with which he made his debut as a player. a professional, after 17 years spent abroad.

“I am grateful to the Colcolino people. “It is believed that they love each other more abroad than in their own country, but today I see that this is not the case and they made me feel it”, he later admitted to the press during the conference.

Vidal’s emotion was genuine and was seen before he arrived at his presentation, when a video was projected on the stadium screen in which he commented on his previous sensations: “I’m very nervous, I couldn’t sleep waiting for this day. “

The hour-long show began with the presentation of Chilean artists Pablito Pesadilla, Mary la cumbia de barrio and Amerikan Sound. But the highlight was the appearance of the helicopter flying over the stadium and descending onto the pitch so Vidal could appear.

Then came the horse and all the clothes, which included a royal crown and a sword that was given to him and he did not have to take it from a stone like “Excalibur”, in the legend of King Arthur of Brittany, a character in European literature.

“I was the first to ride here, on the Colo Colo pitch”, Vidal would later say, but he was not the first to arrive by helicopter because the Juventus club had already used the resource in the ‘Noche Alba of 1999’, the traditional presentation which in that opportunity belonged to the newly hired coach Nelsinho Baptista.

With his right leg, the one he underwent knee surgery last September, he threw balls into the stands to make an offering: the fans were rewarded for their presence and among the gifts received there were 10 people who were able to have lunch with the idol .

Of all the great returns of Chilean footballers such as Jorge Toro, Elías Figueroa, Carlos Caszely, Patricio Yáñez, Iván Zamorano and Matías Fernández – also at Colo Colo – and which counted 10 thousand people in 2019, that of Vidal marks a precedent, since who is the Chilean footballer with the most titles won in history with 25 trophies.

The 8th minute of the Chilean team also made requests and promises to the fans. “We hope that the stadium will always be like this (full) and I hope that we can grow another Libertadores, why not?” he declared to those present.

Then, when asked about his big bet, he doubled down: “I take responsibility for my words, I always have. Thank God I won a lot, if I hadn’t had this personality when I went to Germany I would have gotten here faster, I have faith and if that doesn’t happen I will take responsibility,” he said about the Colo campaign. Colo has an advantage over the previous phase of the Copa Libertadores.

“I will try to give thanks in my own way, by playing well and achieving the objectives we have in front of us and achieving everything I have achieved externally with the help of my teammates and the technical staff,” he added.

“Olé, olé, olé, Vidal, Vidal”, the powerful chant that descended from the stands of the stadium located in the Macul neighborhood brought tears to the eyes of Vidal, who hopes to reciprocate with football after an injury that could have caused him to retire .

Vidal played for Flamengo and Atletico Paranaense last season without scoring goals, but started several matches. His stop in Brazil came after a successful spell in Europe, where he played for Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Vidal is preparing for the first challenges of the season, first this Saturday 3 February in Viña del Mar against Independiente del Valle, then he will have to face Huachipato for the final of the Chilean Super Cup and the start of the season on Saturday the 17th against the Spanish Union.