VIDAL IMPRESSES

Chile’s national team coach Jorge Sampaoli has praised Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal as one of the best in the world. He has compared him with Lionel Messi of Barcelona by saying that the midfielder is the Messi of midfielders.

Vidal has become one of the finest midfielders in the world since making the move to Juventus in 2011. He recently signed a new contract with the Italian team that made the best paid midfielder earning around £ 180,000 per week.

Even though he was widely known for his defensive attributes prior to his move to Juventus, Vidal has become a regular goalscorer this campaign. He has 16 so far and it has helped the Juventus go top of the table.

He is expected to be one of the star performers at the upcoming World Cup 2014 despite Chile having a tough group. They will be up against world champions Spain and 2010 finalists Netherlands. Australia are the other group in contention with the South American team. Sampaoli has also spoken about Vidal being capable of winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or award one-day. He says that it will be tough for the midfielder to win it since it is usually given to attacking players.

The award has been shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo since 2007.

“There’s only one Messi. He’s unique. But we can say that Vidal is the Messi of midfielders. There are few like him: he is flexible, lethal, an expert in stealing the ball. The Ballon d’Or is difficult. It’s generally awarded to attackers, to goalscorers. Alexis Sanchez would be perfect for Conte. Him, [Fernando] Llorente, [Carlos] Tevez: a potential attack like few others in the world. Any player wants to play as much as possible. Isla knows that he runs the risk of losing the World Cup,” said Sampaoli about different aspects.