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Alexis Sánchez
Alexis Sánchez 2017.jpg
Sánchez playing for Chile at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
Personal information
Full name Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez
Date of birth (1988-12-19) 19 December 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth Tocopilla, Chile
Height 1.69 m
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current club Udinese
Number 7
Youth career
1999 Universidad Católica
2000–2003 Escuela Bernardo O'Higgins
2004–2005 Cobreloa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Cobreloa 47 (12)
2006–2011 Udinese 95 (20)
2006–2007 Colo-Colo (loan) 32 (5)
2007–2008 River Plate (loan) 23 (4)
2011–2014 Barcelona 88 (39)
2014–2018 Arsenal 122 (60)
2018–2020 Manchester United 32 (3)
2019–2020 Inter Milan (loan) 22 (4)
2020–2022 Inter Milan 57 (12)
2022–2023 Marseille 35 (14)
2023–2024 Inter Milan 23 (2)
2024– Udinese 4 (0)
National team
2004 Chile U15
2005 Chile U17
2007 Chile U20 12 (2)
2006– Chile 166 (51)
Honours
Men's football
Representing  Chile
Copa América
Winner 2015 Chile
Winner 2016 United States
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up 2017 Russia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third 2007 Canada
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:23, 20 January 2025 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 02:11, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez (born 19 December 1988), often called just Alexis, is a famous Chilean professional footballer. He plays as a forward for the Serie A club Udinese and is also a key player for the Chile national team. Many people think he is one of the best Chilean players ever.

Alexis is known as "El Niño Maravilla" which means "The Wonder Child." He started his senior club career at just 15 years old with Cobreloa. Later, he joined Udinese in Italy when he was 18. He won league titles while on loan at Colo-Colo and River Plate. In 2011, he made a big move to Barcelona, becoming the most expensive Chilean player at the time. With Barcelona, he won six trophies, including a La Liga title.

He then moved to Arsenal in 2014, where he won two FA Cups and was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. After that, he played for Manchester United and Inter Milan, winning a Serie A title and a Coppa Italia with Inter. In 2022, he joined Marseille in France, before returning to Inter Milan in 2023 and then Udinese in 2024.

Alexis first played for the Chile national team in 2006 when he was 18. He has played in many major tournaments and is now Chile's most capped player and all-time top goalscorer. He helped Chile win their first major trophy, the 2015 Copa América, and then won it again in 2016 at the Copa América Centenario, where he was named the best player.

Club Career: Alexis's Football Journey

Early Days: How Alexis Started Playing Football

Alexis Sánchez started playing football at a young age. In 1999, he had a short time with a Universidad Católica Academy. He also played for the Escuela Bernardo O'Higgins team from his hometown, Tocopilla.

Cobreloa: Kicking Off His Professional Career

Alexis grew up in Tocopilla and came through the youth system of C.D. Cobreloa. He was teammates with other future Chilean national players like Charles Aránguiz. In February 2005, when he was just 16, Alexis joined the senior team.

He played his first game on 12 February 2005 and scored his first professional goal on 18 March. He even played in the 2005 Copa Libertadores at 16, making him one of the youngest players to debut in that tournament. After a great season, Serie A club Udinese signed him in 2006.

Loan Spells: Learning and Growing

Udinese decided to loan Alexis out to help him develop. He first joined Chilean team Colo-Colo for a season. He scored his first goal for them in a derby match against Universidad de Chile. He helped Colo-Colo win their first professional title, the Torneo Clausura, in December 2006.

The next season, he scored his first goals in the 2007 Copa Libertadores with a hat-trick against Caracas. He helped Colo-Colo win another league title, the Torneo Apertura. After his time at Colo-Colo, he moved to Argentina to play for River Plate on loan from Udinese in August 2007.

Udinese: Becoming a Star in Italy

After his successful loan spells, Alexis joined Udinese in Italy in July 2008. He played his first Serie A match on 14 September. He scored his first league goal on 19 October 2008.

Udinese2008
Sánchez (right) and fellow Chilean Mauricio Isla playing for Udinese in 2008.

In the 2009–10 season, Alexis played a big part in the Coppa Italia. He helped his team beat Milan and scored his first Coppa Italia goal against Roma. On 27 February 2011, Alexis scored four goals in one game against Palermo, helping Udinese win 7–0. This broke the record for goals scored by a Chilean player in a single Serie A match.

During his time at Udinese, Alexis and his teammate Antonio Di Natale formed a strong scoring partnership. Fans on FIFA.com even voted Alexis as the world's most promising young player in 2011.

Barcelona: Playing with Legends

On 20 July 2011, Barcelona signed Alexis Sánchez. He became the first Chilean player to join the famous club. He was excited to learn from players like Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández.

FC Barcelona Team 2, 2011
Sánchez (far left) celebrating with his Barcelona teammates after winning the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final.

Alexis made his debut for Barcelona on 14 August 2011 against Real Madrid. He scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5–0 win against Villarreal. He also scored his first UEFA Champions League goals in a 3–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen.

In the 2012–13 season, Alexis helped Barcelona win the La Liga title. He scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona on 5 January 2014, in a 4–0 win against Elche. He finished the 2013–14 season with a career-high 21 goals.

Arsenal: A Premier League Hero

On 10 July 2014, Alexis signed with Arsenal in England. He was given the number 17 shirt. He said he was "so happy" to join Arsenal because of its great manager and fantastic players.

Sanchez 2014 1
Sánchez playing for Arsenal in 2014.

He made his first appearance for Arsenal on 2 August 2014. His first competitive game was against Manchester City in the 2014 FA Community Shield, which Arsenal won 3–0. He scored his first goal for Arsenal on 27 August, helping them qualify for the Champions League group stage. His first league goal came against Leicester City.

Alexis quickly became a key player for Arsenal. He scored many important goals, including a brace against Burnley in November 2014, bringing his total to 10 goals for the season. He also scored his first FA Cup goals in January 2015.

Alexis Sanchez parade
Sánchez during Arsenal's FA Cup victory parade in 2015.

On 18 April, Alexis scored both goals in the FA Cup semi-final against Reading, sending Arsenal to the final. He was named the PFA Fans' Player of the Year in May 2015. On 30 May, he scored a fantastic long-range goal in the 2015 FA Cup Final as Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4–0. He was named Arsenal's Player of the Year for his amazing first season.

Alexis Sanchez Arsenal Vs Burnley (24736448805) (cropped) (cropped)
Sánchez playing for Arsenal in 2016.

In the 2015–16 season, Alexis scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal in a 5–2 win at Leicester. This made him the first player to score hat-tricks in the Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga. He continued his great form, scoring against Manchester United and Watford.

For the 2016–17 season, Alexis changed his squad number from 17 to 7. He had another fantastic season, scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and a hat-trick against West Ham. He finished as Arsenal's top goalscorer with 24 Premier League goals and 30 goals in all competitions. He also scored the opening goal in Arsenal's 2–1 win over Chelsea in the 2017 FA Cup Final, helping Arsenal win a record 13th FA Cup.

Manchester United & Inter Milan: New Challenges

Man Utd 2 Chelsea 1 (39788471964) (cropped)
Sánchez with Manchester United in 2018.

On 22 January 2018, Alexis moved to Manchester United. He was given the famous number 7 shirt. He made his debut in a 4–0 win against Yeovil Town in the FA Cup. He scored his first goal for United on 3 February 2018 against Huddersfield Town.

On 29 August 2019, Alexis joined Inter Milan on loan. He later signed permanently with Inter on 6 August 2020. He helped Inter win the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia. On 12 January 2022, he scored a late winning goal against Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana.

Marseille and Returns to Inter and Udinese

On 9 August 2022, Alexis signed with Ligue 1 club Marseille in France. He played one season there before returning to Inter Milan on 26 August 2023. In August 2024, he made another return, this time to his former club Udinese.

International Career: Playing for Chile

Bachelet sub 20(2)
Sánchez (back row, second in red from right) with Chile Under-20 in 2007.

Alexis Sánchez played for Chile's youth teams before joining the senior national team. He made his international debut for the Chile national team against New Zealand on 27 April 2006, when he was 18. He also helped the Chilean under-20 team finish third at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He scored his first goal for the senior team on 7 September 2007 against Switzerland. He played in every match during the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

2014 World Cup: Representing His Country

Brazil vs. Chile in Mineirão 09
Sánchez playing against David Luiz of Brazil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Alexis scored four goals during Chile's qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament itself, he scored Chile's first goal in a 3–1 win against Australia. In the round of 16, he scored the equalizing goal against hosts Brazil. However, Chile lost that match in a penalty shootout.

Copa América Success: Making History

Alexis was a key player for Chile when they hosted the 2015 Copa América. He scored in a 5–0 win against Bolivia, helping Chile win their group. In the final against Argentina, Alexis scored the winning penalty in a shootout, giving Chile their first major title ever!

In June 2016, Alexis helped Chile defend their Copa América title at the Copa América Centenario in the United States. He scored twice in a 4–2 win against Panama to help Chile reach the quarter-finals. He also scored one goal and assisted two others in a huge 7–0 win against Mexico.

In the final, Chile faced Argentina again. After a 0–0 draw, Chile won on penalties (4–2) to keep their title. Alexis was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player!

FIFA Confederations Cup and Beyond

In the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, Alexis became Chile's all-time top goalscorer when he scored his 38th international goal against Germany. This also made him Chile's joint most capped player. Chile reached the final but lost 1–0 to Germany.

He continued to play for Chile in the 2019 Copa América, scoring goals against Japan and Ecuador. He scored the winning penalty in the quarter-finals against Colombia, sending Chile to the semi-finals.

Style of Play: What Makes Alexis Special?

Brazil vs Chile (16836142310)
Sánchez during a friendly against Brazil in March 2015.

Alexis Sánchez is known for being a very quick, creative, and hard-working player. He has a great eye for goal and is very strong on the field. He is good with both feet, which means he can play anywhere along the front of the attack. He can play as a supporting striker, a winger, or even a main striker.

He is excellent at dribbling past defenders and creating space. He can score goals himself with powerful shots or set up his teammates with clever passes. Because he can place his shots so well, he is also good at free kicks. Many experts consider him one of the best left wingers in Europe during his prime.

Personal Life: Off the Field

Alexis Sánchez 2011
Sánchez in 2011.

In March 2017, a statue was built in Alexis Sánchez's honor in his hometown of Tocopilla.

He has also worked with big brands. In October 2015, he became an ambassador for Huawei, a technology company. In February 2017, he signed a sponsorship deal with Pepsi.

Alexis has also started a wine business called Alma Soul. He bought land in Argentina, Chile, and Italy for this project. In 2024, he graduated as a football instructor and later as a football manager, showing his interest in staying in football after his playing career.

Honours

Colo-Colo

River Plate

Barcelona

Arsenal

Inter Milan

Chile

Individual Awards

  • Serie A Player of the Month: February 2011
  • PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2015
  • PFA Team of the Year: 2014–15 Premier League
  • Arsenal Player of the Season Award: 2014–15, 2016–17
  • Copa América Golden Ball: 2016
  • FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Ball: 2017
  • Marseille Player of the Season: 2022–23

Records

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Alexis Sánchez para niños

  • List of top international men's football goal scorers by country
  • List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
  • List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals

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