My Favorite Player: Mikey Lopez

Mark Booth

We’re rounding up the last few NYCFC players who haven’t revealed their favorite soccer players of all-time.

Following in the footsteps of David Villa, it’s Mikey Lopez who has chosen a current player… and an extremely topical one at that!

Mikey’s favorite player is… Arturo Vidal.

Mikey on Vidal…

“For my position, I’d say Arturo Vidal – he’s a bulldog. He’s all over the field, he’s hard in the tackle and he’s a warrior. I feel I’m the same way, I leave everything on the field for the team and I definitely look to someone like Vidal for inspiration on that.”

Arturo Vidal: Il Guerriero

Arguably one of the most complete central midfielders currently playing the game, Arturo Vidal made his name in South America at Colo-Colo in Chile before making the move across to Europe in 2007.

Bayer Leverkusen benefitted from his services for four years before The Old Lady of Juventus came calling in 2011.

By then a regular in the Chilean national team, Vidal won Scudetti in every single season in spent in Italy and helped his team to reach the UEFA Champions League final where they were only beaten by a phenomenal Barcelona team.

In 2015, Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich swooped for his services, taking him back to the Bundesliga where he won the title for the first time in 2015/16 as part of a league, German Cup and Super Cup treble.

At international level, Arturo’s talents have been just as influential as he helped Chile to two Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, earning a place in both Team of the Tournaments.

Showreel

Status Update

Arturo’s name has been in the headlines this week after he was controversially sent-off in Bayern Munich’s defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter finals on Tuesday.

Despite Bayern’s exit, Vidal is still on for another Bundesliga title in his second season back in Germany – in all, he’s made 37 appearances so far in 2016/17, scoring eight goals.