Vidal played for Flamengo hours after his dad’s funeral
Arturo Vidal watched his dad’s funeral live on Instagram before featuring for Flamengo in the final of the Brazilian Cup a few hours later.
The former Barcelona and Juventus midfielder moved to the South American side in July after leaving Inter Milan on a free transfer.
Vidal reportedly told the club that he wouldn’t be returning to his hometown of Santiago in Chile to pay his respects to his late father Erasmo.
Erasmo, 61, died on Tuesday after suffering a cardiac arrest while at a racecourse in the Chilean capital, where he cared for his son’s animals.
The racecourse confirmed his death in a statement which said: “On Tuesday morning Erasmo Vidal was found inside the enclosure by security staff.
“When they saw he was in a bad way, they contacted paramedics who work on site and rushed to the scene to provide emergency medical attention and call for more help.
“Ambulance workers continued to try to save him when they arrived but his condition deteriorated as a result of cardiac arrest and hypovolemic shock and sadly he died.”
In order to pay his respects, Vidal’s sister Ambar, went live on Instagram so that the midfielder could watch the funeral where fans comforted him after he broke down in tears.
Hours later though Vidal was introduced as a 65th minute substitute in Flamengo’s 0-0 draw with Corinthians in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil on Thursday.
Ahead of the game, Vidal paid tribute to his dad, saying: “Daddy, today I’ll miss your good luck message before the match.
“But I know that you’ll be supporting us from Heaven. We’ll win this cup and the next one for you and for everyone who supports me on a daily basis.”
Vidal also shared pictures from the funeral on his Instagram account on Friday while his employers released a statement paying tribute to the experienced midfielder.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjrVvUojiQ_/
“We regret to inform you about the death of Erasmo Vidal, father of our player Arturo Vidal. We wish him strength at this difficult moment,” they said.
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