As Erick Pulgar whipped a devastating free-kick past Gigi Donnarumma and into the top corner on Sunday, Arturo Vidal couldn’t help but be impressed.
The Fiorentina midfielder has been tipped to replace his battle-scarred 33-year-old compatriot as the beating heart of the Chilean national team and, as La Viola welcomed AC Milan to the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Pulgar produced a moment of jaw-dropping quality that the former Juventus midfielder would have been proud to call his own.
Everyone was expecting a cross.
Imagine the surprise, then, when Pulgar fizzed a 25-yard rocket into the top corner of Milan’s net from the most audacious of angles.
“Great goal, little brother,” Vidal wrote on Instagram, responding to a goal which threatened to extend Inter’s lead over their Milan rivals at the top of the Serie A table.
As it stands, Vidal’s Nerazzuri are six points clear with a game in hand.
Whether the Chilean internationals are still plying their trade in Italy next term, however, is anyone’s guess. Vidal has been linked with a move away after struggling to impose himself at the San Siro while, according to La Nazione, Marcelo Bielsa has asked Leeds United to bring Pulgar to the Premier League.
When those reports broke, a few months ago, Pulgar was out of favour in Florence.
Since then, the all-action enforcer has kick-started his season at last. Remarkably, that brilliant goal against Milan was his first since August; a barren run for club and country lasting 25 games.
This was quite a way to break the duck.
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