Arturo Vidal could have played for Real Madrid, that's why Florentino rejected him

Considered the best club in all of history, Real Madrid has always been associated with signing great players. At one point, one of the players who was on the club's radar was Arturo Vidal. However, the reason why Florentino Pérez didn't go through with his signing was because of the Argentine midfielder's value.

According to Iván Zamorano, Real Madrid legend, the president told him: "It's just that he costs €40 million; when he costs €100 million, I'll bring him in." With these words, Real Madrid's president made his standard for signings clear. "He's extraordinary, but when he costs one hundred," Zamorano added after revealing Florentino's words.

According to what we know at Defensa Central, that wasn't the only time Vidal was on Real Madrid's radar. As the player himself revealed: "Where I was strongly desired was the year Casemiro arrived; the one who should've arrived was me." After not joining Real Madrid, Vidal decided to move to Barcelona, which turned out to be a terrible decision.

Arturo Vidal's non-signing

As part of Colo-Colo in the Chilean league, Arturo Vidal remains active at 40 years old. Despite being a player for the club where he came up through the youth system, Vidal had a more than remarkable career in Europe. In 2007, he signed for Bayer Leverkusen (2007), a club that served as his springboard to join clubs like Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Inter.

At the time, as a very solid and complete midfielder, Real Madrid showed interest in him. However, despite his quality, Vidal never managed to show a level suitable to be part of the club. While Florentino's reason was his market value, this is, on countless occasions, a reflection of the player's performance on the field.

That's why, to the surprise of both Zamorano and Vidal, Real Madrid never made an offer for him. Instead, the club kept Casemiro, who went on to become one of the greatest legends in its history. A decision by Florentino that, after seeing the successes achieved with Casemiro, is more than justified.

Real Madrid's level

Clearly upset about not being able to play for Real Madrid, Arturo Vidal was left with this desire. Instead of wearing white, Vidal ended up joining a Barcelona that was starting to become an embarrassment in Europe. As Zamorano himself told the Chilean player: "You went to Spain's second team."