Speaking with Bundesliga.com, Bayern Munich and Chile international Arturo Vidal believes that 2017 will be a year of success in Munich, whilst he rates 2016 as “nine out of ten.”
The combative midfielder spoke about his entry into football, thanking his mother’s efforts as well as the football pitch they had outside of their house.
“It was difficult at the start when I was a boy, but thanks to my mother’s efforts I managed to make it. On top of that, I was lucky enough to have a pitch right outside my house. Those things helped me to believe it was possible to become a footballer and that I’d be able to help my family. Everything I experienced back then helped me a great deal psychologically. It gave me the desire and the battling spirit to keep going and fight out in the world.
“It wasn’t easy but I was so determined to succeed and make my childhood ambitions come true that I decided to fight against everything. I was at odds with everything: with the language, for example, with great players who were older than me, with coaches who initially left me out of the team or with whom I had a difference of opinion. There were a lot of things that generally don’t get publicised, but it was my mentality, or my desire to succeed, that were stronger than anything else.”
It was a year of change at Bayern Munich in 2016, which saw the departure of Pep Guardiola, who was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti.
“To be honest I’m very happy and satisfied with what I’ve done. That said, I’m still missing a few things that would make me even more satisfied, that would make me totally happy, such as winning the Champions League this season. That’s one of my objectives. It’s been a dream of mine ever since I started to like football. Another dream is to win the World Cup with my national team.
“This team has to win everything and that’s why we’ve got the players we’ve got. I think 2017 will be our year. We’ve got a very good coaching staff and great players who are hungry to win titles. So we’re going to try and win everything.”
