Vidal: Victory would put Chile atop world

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA — Arturo Vidal and Chile want to be the unofficial world champions.

It may be only the Confederations Cup on the line when Chile faces Germany in today’s final, but the combative midfielder wants to claim the bragging rights over his German teammates at Bayern Munich.

It could be the third title in as many years for Chile’s golden generation of players. They racked up Copa America wins in 2015 and 2016, beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina in both finals, and defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on penalties in Wednesday’s Confederations Cup semifinal.

“We have proven our value on the pitch. We beat Argentina, which is one of the best teams, and a few days ago we beat Portugal, the European champion,” Vidal said Saturday. “So tomorrow, if we win we will be the best team in the world.”

Germany coach Joachim Loew said Chile was far outperforming expectations.

Fatigue could be an issue for a team that has played eight games in a month and went to penalties vs. Portugal, but Vidal hopes the will to win can make up for any tired legs.

The final will pit youth vs. experience, with an experimental German side taking on a team that has used the same key players for several years. The tournament is FIFA’s dress rehearsal for the World Cup, but for Germany it’s an audition.

Loew’s young players know they’re fighting for a chance with next year’s World Cup squad, when key players from the victorious 2014 side are set to return. The German under21 team’s European Championship win on Friday shows younger players also are capable of winning a World Cup.