Juventus, Vidal backs Conte: “Better than Guardiola and Ancelotti, he’s a €100 million signing. I’ll return as a manager”

"Juventus are the club I still feel most attached to. I have a special affection for the fans and my team-mates; we won so much. They were wonderful years, Italy will always be in my heart: my children grew up there."

"Llorente said Juventus could do with a Vidal to start winning again? His words make me proud. I will return to Juventus in the future, as a manager. But I still want to play for now. Changing position has prolonged my career: I feel comfortable in defence and I was recently named among the best centre-backs in South America."

"A club with Juventus's history must always fight to win. If they have not won for several years now, Inter and Napoli, who have improved greatly, also deserve credit. Serie A remains a difficult league, but Juventus must dominate in Italy again. They must do things in an orderly way: choose the right manager and style of football. But the players will always be the most important thing. Juventus need people with quality and character, who are hungry and know how to win. Otherwise, it is hard to triumph."

"Conte is an extraordinary manager, the best of all tactically: I'm not surprised the fans dream of his return. He is impressive in the way he studies the match and the opposition, and gets across to you what you will need to do on the pitch. He is a winner who instils his mentality in everyone. I'm convinced Antonio could restore to Juve the spirit and ambition to want to win everything. He makes as much of a difference as a great player, as a 100-million signing. He has shown it everywhere: when Antonio is in charge, you are guaranteed to fight for the league title until the end. And you almost always triumph. But nobody wins alone, not even him: he needs strong players with the right mentality around him. We had the best midfield in the world: Pirlo, Marchisio, Pogba, me... And a spectacular team: the only thing missing was the Champions League."

"I once made him angry in Miami, during a summer tour. He had us training like mad. With two days left, he said: 'I'll give you an evening off, but tomorrow training is at 8am and there will be running, then we go back to Italy.' We had permission to return to the hotel by 2am and were due to meet for the coach's departure at 8am. I turned up at ten past eight wearing sunglasses. Conte was furious about my lateness and made us sweat buckets. I went to the front of the group. I still don't know how: I hadn't slept, and I struggled a bit on the bends."

"For me, he is among the top three alongside Guardiola and Ancelotti. Pep has an incredible vision of football. Ancelotti is extraordinary at managing groups and players. Conte is the best tactically and makes everyone ready to give their lives for him on the pitch. He instils incredible energy, confidence and desire to win. Inzaghi? A great manager, but Conte is on another level: he is a born winner. It is no coincidence that Inzaghi at Inter built on Antonio's 3-5-2. Between the two, I choose Conte, without any doubt. After Conte left, I played less than I would have liked, but I don't regret being at Inter: I won there too."

"More than from Spalletti, I expect more from Juve. Sixth place last season was a failure, regardless of the manager. McKennie is like me? Possibly, a lot of people say so. But I think it's hard to compare me with anyone. I have particular qualities: when I played in midfield, I liked winning the ball back, scoring, running, getting into the box and helping the team in every area of the pitch."

"A lot has always been said about my life off the pitch, but at 39 I'm still playing, I've won 27 trophies and I'd like to reach 30 before I stop. People have always spoken badly of me wherever I've been, but in the end what matters is what you show when you play. I've trained at an incredible level all my life and I've had a winning mentality since I was a child. I've never hidden away. I have no regrets."