Has Arturo Vidal Done Enough to Justify His €37 Million Price Tag?

Last summer, Bayern Munich made a major decision in selling Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United. With a year left on his contract, the vice-captain was sold, ending a 17-year stint at Germany's most successful side.

Selling fan favorite and devoted club icon Schweinsteiger wasn't received well by some fans, and Bayern looked to quickly rectify things as best they could. Rumors came soon, and two weeks later, the signing of Arturo Vidal was announced.

Having snapped up a player from Champions League finalists Juventus, one who had lit up the Bundesliga as a Bayer Leverkusen player earlier in his career, Bayern looked to have secured a real coup. But everything wasn't quite as rosy as it had seemed.

Vidal came with quite a bit of baggage. He was caught driving while intoxicated during the Copa America last summer, and, according to Serie A expert David Amoyal, Juve's management considered his sale a "masterpiece" due to the player's behavior and consistent injuries. The Italian giants did manage to fetch €37 million for him.

Just as Bayern fans knew Schweinsteiger's reputation was greater than his actual value last summer, Juve supporters knew the same of Vidal. Even at 28, and despite Juve's Champions League run, the Chilean wasn't as brilliant in 2014-15 as he'd been earlier in his career.

"

Thought Vidal had a monster performance today. His best in a Bayern jersey, kept the energy levels up and drove team up the field. #FCBJuve

— Cristian Nyari (@CrisNyari) March 16, 2016"

Speaking to Sky Germany (h/t ESPN FC) in October, Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer pulled no punches: "Bayern don't need Vidal. He's not in shape and did a poor job at preparing himself physically. He shouldn't be on the pitch if he isn't 100 percent."

Beckenbauer had a point: A player formerly known for his aggression and seemingly limitless energy, Vidal appeared to have lost that edge during the fall campaign. He still had class to offer, but it was intermittent; a few touches of class but never a solid, quality, 90-minute performance.

After the winter break, reports emerged alleging that Vidal had squandered his chance to prepare himself for the second round. Sport Bild reported that during Bayern's training camp in Qatar, Vidal repeatedly left the team's headquarters only to return intoxicated.

The player has since sued the German publication, resulting in a cease-and-desist letter (via ESPN FC) that required Sport Bild to stop publishing its claim despite not proving the allegation to be false.

Whether or not the Sport Bild allegation was true, it was consistent with Vidal's behavior before and since. Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Gazzetta World) later reported that after the first leg of Bayern's Champions League tie with Juve, the midfielder snuck out of Bayern's hotel at 2:25 a.m. to party with Paul Pogba and several of his Bayern colleagues.

A professional footballer paid as handsomely as Vidal should show a bit more commitment to perfecting his craft. Yet in spite of his seemingly repeated indiscipline, Vidal has managed to play well when it has mattered most.

His best performances for Bayern have come in the last few weeks, in the two legs of the Juve tie and in the Bundesliga against Borussia Dortmund. He was excellent and among the candidates for man-of-the-match honors in all three.

Three great performances aren't worth €37 million, though, and Vidal still has a long way to go if he is to justify his price tag. And even with the quality he showed in those fixtures, one can only wonder what he might have done had he had better preparation beforehand: He might have done even better, and Bayern might not have failed to win all three in regular time.

There also is reason for concern that Vidal one day might enter a big game and struggle. It's surprising he's been able to flip the "on" switch seemingly at will; at some point, it won't work.

It's safe to say that Vidal has been better as of late than the apparent flop he looked to be in the fall. Schweinsteiger might truly be finished at the highest level, but Vidal, it seems, isn't.

Still, he has plenty to prove in terms of his dedication to the club and his work rate, and he could prove toxic if he doesn't adjust his attitude. If he does, the Chilean could well justify that €37 million price tag.

@Mr_Bundesliga