Barcelona a step up from Bayern, says Vidal

Arturo Vidal believes he is making a step up by leaving Bayern Munich for Barcelona, revealing his delight to join “the best team in the world”.

The Chilean midfielder has signed a three-year contract at Camp Nou, his reported €20million switch bringing an end to a three-year stay in Germany.

It had been suggested former Juventus man Vidal was on the verge of returning to Serie A with Inter, but he is happy with his move and confident he can hit the ground running in LaLiga.

“I am very happy. This is the best team in the world, a step up to an even bigger club than Bayern Munich,” he told a news conference.

“I hope to help the team win a lot of titles here and I am prepared to live up to the expectations. I’ve heard a lot about the ‘Barcelona DNA’, but I have the mentality. The most important thing is winning titles.

“It was always nice to play against players like [Lionel] Messi, because he is the best in history. Now I’m playing in the same team as Messi.

“I have to be up to the task, because these are the best players in the world.”

Like father, like son
@kingarturo23
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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 6, 2018

Pressed on his options in the off-season, Vidal replied: “My responsibility is to train hard. It’s not my decision [to negotiate with clubs].

“It’s down to my agent, but when he presented the option of Barcelona, I did not hesitate for a second. I wanted to play for the best team in the world.”

Vidal and Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League by Barca’s great rivals Real Madrid in each of the last two seasons, with the midfielder controversially sent off in 2016-17.

And while Vidal insist he does not have a problem with Madrid, he acknowledges that he is desperate to win a European title.

“My score to settle is winning the Champions League. I have not been able to win one yet,” he said. “I think I can do that with this team, the best team in the world.

“I am here for three years so I don’t just want to win one Champions League. Hopefully I can win three.”