Arturo Vidal seals Colo-Colo return with ICONIC unveiling

Cameron Smith

• 2 Feb 2024 09:36 GMT
• 3 min read

Arturo Vidal sealed an iconic return to Colo-Colo with one of the most bizarre unveilings in football history.

The 36-year-old was released by Athletico Paranaense following the conclusion of the 2023 season, but it didn’t take long for Vidal to find a new club as Colo-Colo snapped him up on a free transfer in January.

The Chilean football legend came through the Colo-Colo academy system and made a total of 56 senior appearances for the club before joining Bayer Leverkusen for €5.2 million in 2007.

After 16-and-a-half years away, Vidal has now returned to his boyhood club and he was unveiled in front of a packed stadium on 1 February.

His return has been lauded by Colo-Colo fans, who turned up in their thousands to see Vidal presented as a new player.

Arturo Vidal’s bizarre Colo-Colo unveiling

The former Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona star arrived at the Monumental Stadium on a helicopter, but that was just the start of a crazy set of events.

Soon, Vidal was seen riding around the pitch on a horse, with a crown on his head and a sword in his hand. A band also played live music on the pitch.

Perhaps the strangest thing about Vidal’s presentation was that he’d been seen in action for Colo-Colo days before, as he made his second debut for the club during a friendly against Everton on 28 January.

Vidal started the match and played 59 minutes before being replaced by Pablo Parra.

Despite this, Vidal was welcomed back to the club on 1 February with a presentation ceremony that will live long in the memories of those in attendance.

The Chile legend has made 142 appearances for his country, scoring 34 goals, while he won a total of 18 trophies during an incredible career in the European game.

Vidal has also won two Copa Americas with Chile, three league titles with Colo-Colo and the Brazilian Cup and Copa Libertadores with Flamengo.