Man United bound Alexis Sanchez was nicknamed "the squirrel" and other things you didn't know about Chilean

Nick Watkins - Writer 15:01 16/01/2018
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  • Chilean international: Alexis Sanchez

    Manchester United are closing in on the capture of Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez despite the late interest of Chelsea.

    Rivals Manchester City ended their interest in the Chilean on Monday seemingly paving the way for a switch to Old Trafford.

    Personal terms have reportedly been agreed and the only sticking point is with Arsenal seeking £30million and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in exchange.

    Still, all signs point to Sanchez completing a move to United in the coming days with Chelsea’s interest arriving too late in the day.

    With the transfer set to be finalised, it seems only logical to unpack some of things you may not have known about the 29-year-old.

    1. He was born Alexis Alejandro Sanchez Sanchez in Tocopilla, Chile in 1988. His father is a horticulturist and his mother runs a small business.

    2. He’s known as El Nino Maravilla, which translates to ‘the wonder child’. Although as a child he was known as ‘the squirrel’ because he was always climbing trees

    3.The Chilean has clocked up 119 caps, scoring 39 goals, for his country – the joint record with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

    4. Sanchez made his professional debut in 2005, aged just 16, for C.D.Cobreloain Calama. His first professional goal came in a 2-1 victory over Deportes Concepcion in March of 2005.

    5. His dogs Atom and Humber have become famous online thanks to Sanchez’s Instagram posts. The playmaker regularly posts selfies with his pooches and even went as far as making them their own account. He’s also worn boots with their names stitched in.

    ❤️Amor verdadero ❤️🐾🐶🐶 true love 💖

    A post shared by Atom&humber (@atomhumberoficia1) on

    6. Sanchez holds the record for most Serie ‘A’ goals scored in a single match by a Chilean. His four goals for Udinese in 2011 against Palermo, a 7-0 thumping, was enough to break the previous record held by Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano.

    7. Pep Guardiola splashed out £33million to bring Sanchez to Barcelona in the summer of 2001. He thus became the first Chilean to play for the club. His career at the Camp Nou got off to a bad start, picking up an injury against Real Madrid, keeping him sidelined for two weeks. On his return he was stretchered off against Real Sociedad after a late challenge.

    8. In March 2017, a statue was erected in his honor in his hometown of Tocopilla, with crest of every club he has represented as well as the entire honor he has won.

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