When the sports management of Inter Milan informed Alexis Sanchez that was not in the plans of coach Simone Inzaghi, the attacker took a deep breath and took his time.
After several weeks of negotiation, the Tocopillano decided on Olympique de Marseille, the Gallic club that followed him since the first half of the previous season.
It was not a random decision. The player was looking for a new stop in European football and even He had already given a resounding no to River Plate’s dream, after the call of the manager of the Argentine club, the legendary Enzo Francescoli.
Time proved the historical scorer of the Chilean team right. After his first 11 appearances for the Côte d’Azur side, the Boy Wonder has scored six goals, his best start to a season for seven years, when he was in his second season with England’s Arsenal, having celebrated seven times.
Despite the interest of several European teams, the choice of Olympique de Marseille responds more than anything to the prominence of the port cast, runner-up in the French league and the most popular team in a completely footballized country.
Since he arrived on the Côte d’Azur, Sánchez felt the affection of a massive fan, which fills the Vélodrome stadium from date to date. It is well known that The Wonder Boy is a player who performs better with affection and in the south of the country he fell like at home.
“Marseille is a club that always had Sánchez in its orbit, but hadn’t found a way to sign him. After the insistence of President Pablo Longoria, everything became easier. Even, when the player arrived at the airport he was more than surprised by the affection of the fansyes So, everything worked out for the striker”, says a close to the former Barcelona player.
Despite the reception from the fans, one of the points that contributed most to this true rebirth of the former Udinese player was the atmosphere he found in the dressing room of the Marseille team.
The 33-year-old striker came as a true star to the club of Provence. There were multiple expressions of admiration and affection that the footballer received, even before training began at his new club.
Over, coach Igor Tudor He has not hesitated to publicly praise the hiring of the Chilean athlete, whom he has exploited as the great figure of his sports project.
Even when the Tocopillano arrived at the Marseille discipline, the Balkan coach himself hinted that in all the game systems that his squad would have, the presence of the Chilean Sánchez stands out in most of them.
“The team is made for Alexis Sánchez and it is one of the observations that the player values the most in these first few months. He is the star of the team and he feels that respect”, they say in the player environment.
Furthermore, the fact that the coach speaks the same language, Italian, which makes communication much easier on and off the pitch. A closeness that he rarely had with Inzaghi, his former coach.
But not only the affective plane has managed to transform the national artilleryman. PClose to turning 34 (December 20), the player has performed physically as in his first years in European football.
Much of that has to do the special preparation that the same player has managed to achieve, as one of the athletes who has the best performance has in the practices of Marseille.
Likewise, as recognized from France, andhe footballer has even taken care of even the smallest details to meet this demand. Strict changes in diet, with increased consumption of protein and fiber, have achieved the expected result.
Regardless of the background, the Chilean’s confidence is noticeable on the field of play. It is true that he feels valued in a way that has not happened for a long time. The fact that Tudor has changed his position greatly influences the numbers he has chased at the start of the season.
Precisely, uNo of the most recurring claims you have filed the Boy Wonder himself go through the fact of not having a passer who exploits his status as a scorer in the Red. He said so publicly on the last tour of the Chilean team, something that does not happen on the Costa Azul.
“Sánchez feels valued and respected. Although he sometimes tends to lean a little further back on the court, it’s not something that happens that often on his new team. That is precisely one of the issues that triggered his confidence. He has recovered the joy of playing, he is scoring goals and he feels supported by his teammates, according to him, which translates into great motivation for everything to come, ”they say in the player’s environment.
Above, andhe made of reach the fortnight of goals in the Champions League, put him together with Vidal as the top Chilean gunners in the environment. A fact that feeds that eternal competition with the steering wheel, who will surely not return to European football.
It’s more, the same striker assured, after the new victory over Sporting de Portugal, who wanted to score more goals in that commitment. Which speaks clearly of the need to break that mark.