The fine line between confidence and arrogance, illustrated by Arturo Vidal

Arturo Vidal is not a man consumed by self-doubt. As long ago as 2014, he felt comfortable describing himself as "the best midfielder in the world, because nobody defends like me and scores as many goals as I do."

Before words, came deeds. When he joined Juventus from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011, Vidal was very much the raw talent in a side featuring such veterans as Andrea Pirlo, Mirko Vucinic and Alessandro Del Piero. And yet, he showed no hesitation in putting himself forward to be the team’s penalty taker.

Vidal scored his first attempt, against Cesena, and never looked back - retaining the role even as the likes of Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata came to town. In four seasons, he converted 16 out of 20: a respectable 80 percent.

So when Nicola Rizzoli pointed to the spot in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, offering Bayern Munich the chance to double its 1-0 advantage over Real Madrid shortly before half-time in the first-leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie, it was no surprise to see Vidal step forward. Penalty-taking duties would typically fall to Robert Lewandowski, but in his absence the job was up for grabs.

Vidal had every right to feel confident. He had already scored his team’s opening goal, thumping a header beyond Keylor Navas from a corner. More than that, he had dominated every individual duel throughout the first-half, rocking Madrid onto its heels with his energy and aggression from the No. 10 position.

There is a fine line, though, between confidence and arrogance. Vidal struck the ball with all of his usual ferocity but seemed to forget about placement altogether. It cleared the crossbar by several feet.

At the time, it did not feel like a disastrous error. Bayern still led going into the interval, and deservedly so. But with hindsight, we can call it a turning point - or, at least, one of several. After all, Vidal had already missed another clear scoring opportunity moments earlier, sending a free header over the bar after Robben picked him out with a cross from the right.

It would be unfair to make him into a scapegoat. That latter opportunity only came about as a result of Vidal’s prodigious work-rate. He had won the ball from Casemiro in midfield, sending it to Robben, then covering 40 yards to make himself available for the return at the back post.

Likewise, it was not Vidal who lost track of Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle of the penalty area at the start of the second-half, nor he who let the same player slip in behind Juan Bernat for Madrid’s winner after that. Javi Martinez’s red card was far more damaging than anything the Chilean had done, leaving his team a man short for the final half-hour.

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And yet, it is also true that nights like this one often come down to fine margins. Bayern’s own chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, had described Madrid beforehand as the best team in Europe, suggesting that if his own team had a chance it was because master tactician Carlo Ancelotti was on the Bavarian bench.

The manager had appeared to get his initial selection right on, lining Bayern up in a compact 4-2- 3-1 and keeping possession away from Madrid effectively for much of the first-half. In the end, though, the Bundesliga champion still knew it would need to be ruthless when chances presented themselves.

That truth was evident from Vidal’s own body language as he made his way towards the tunnel at the break. His head was in hands, index fingers touching at the tip of his Mohawk. He had missed a penalty in the Champions League before now, for Juventus against Olympiacos in 2014, but on that occasion the game was already almost at an end. This time he knew the mistake could come back to bite, and it did.

If Bayern is not quite out of this tie yet, then it is certainly on the ropes. Madrid has lost only a single home game all season - and that in the Copa del Rey - although it is worth noting that another German side, Borussia Dortmund did score twice - as Vidal and company now must do - at the Santiago Bernabeu back in December.

For now, it is a hope that he must cling to.

When Vidal moved from Juventus two years ago, it was with the express intent of lifting the Champions League - a target which seemed more feasible to him in Munich than Turin. Glancing across at the Bianconeri’s demolition of Barcelona last night, it is tempting to wonder whether he feels as confident of that decision as he once did.