Vidal not turning his back on Chile: 'A warrior never surrenders'
The Chilean national team can breathe a collective sigh of relief after Arturo Vidal clarified that he is not quitting international duty.
Arturo Vidal has pledged to "never abandon" Chile after comments attributed to him on Tuesday seemed to suggest he was retiring from international football following the team's failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Chile lost 3-0 to Brazil on Wednesday in their final qualifier, as Peru equalised against Colombia to book a play-off with New Zealand.
That failure went down as a huge shock considering Chile's back-to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, and Vidal was emotional after the match as he appeared to quit, saying "thank you for everything" in an interview.
However, the 30-year-old has since clarified his position and does not appear to be withdrawing from international duty any time soon, seemingly still eager to add to his 98 caps.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "A warrior can cry, feel fear and even disappointment, but he never surrenders or leaves before death.
"This is a very difficult time. And I will not abandon it [the team]. Every time they call me I will be at the disposal of my national team."