Flamengo midfielder Arturo Vidal heaped praise on former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, claiming he is still in touch with the Paris Saint-Germain superstar. Vidal, who played alongside the Argentine for two years, featured in 95 matches for the Catalan giants between 2018 and 2020. He helped his former club lift the La Liga title and the Supercopa de Espana, registering 11 goals and 11 assists.
The 35-year-old, who has guided Chile to two Copa America honors in his career, moved to South America from Inter Milan on a free transfer earlier this summer. So far, he has scored and assisted one goal in four appearances for Brazilian outfit Flamengo. the former Juventus and Bayern Munich man opened up about his beginnings in football.
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He said, "Like every footballer at the beginning, it was very complicated and difficult because there were other players, but with work, effort and sacrifice I was able to go to Europe very young." Speaking about the best club in which he has been, he added, “It would be unfair to say a place, I have had a very nice career. I have been in the best teams in the world, in beautiful groups and with the best players.”
Shedding light on his friendship with Messi, he said, “We are still in contact. Leo is a very calm person, focused on what football is, he thinks a lot. He has a quality that is difficult to explain, but I have had other strong teammates like Ribéry, Robben, Lewandowski.” Messi's Argentina are among the favorites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Messi's swan song
La Albiceleste are in a rich vein of form, lifting two international trophies in the last 12 months — the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions. Argentina have been drawn in Group C of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, alongside Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The competition will kick off on November 21 and the final is scheduled for December 18.
