Arturo Vidal talks about why he chose Bayern Munich over Manchester United
Chile and Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal told The Times that his decision to join the Bavarian giants at the end of last season was the right one and that he turned down a move to Premier League giants Manchester United.
Vidal had played in the Bundesliga prior to joining Bayern Munich for rivals Bayer Leverkusen but left Germany to sign for Juventus in 2011. The Chilean spent four trophy-laden seasons with the Old Lady before heading back to Germany and signing for the Bundesliga champions for a fee touted to be £28 million. He was targetted by Manchester United in the summer but the midfielder opted for a move to Munich.
"Yes, there was a chance to come to England," Vidal said. "It was last summer, and at one point, we thought that is what would happen.
"I liked the opportunity that they had offered me, but eventually it did not happen and I chose to come to Bayern. There are always many teams around that go to my agent.
"I wanted to come to a team this strong and to a project that is so ambitious. I feel very happy.
"It helped that I knew what the country was like and what the people were like. We are better, me and my wife and my children. Life is good, very calm. We are starting to feel more comfortable."
Vidal has been instrumental for Bayern Munich this season with 33 appearances for the team across various competitions and has found the back of the net thrice. The Chilean had an outstanding 2014-2015 season where he led Juventus to the Serie A title and Coppa Italia but lost out on the Champions League against Barcelona. He also led the Chilean national team to success in the 2015 Copa America final against Argentina.