‘I visited him the day after a game. A man was sprinting on a treadmill. He’s a role model both on and off the field.
Thierry Henry has somewhat surprisingly labelled Alexis Sanchez a ‘role model on and off the pitch’ despite his infamous exit from Arsenal.
Sanchez was the best player at the Emirates and possibly in the Premier League for a time, contributing 125 goals in 166 games from 2014 to 2018.
His time at Arsenal was cut short when he attempted to force his way out, eventually joining rivals Manchester United in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This was a huge betrayal for Gunners fans, but they would have the last laugh as the Chilean forward’s form and career plummeted as soon as he left north London.
After scoring just five goals for United, he moved on to Inter Milan before joining Olympique Marseille last summer, where he has enjoyed a resurgence, scoring 13 goals in 28 games this season.
The 34-year-reputation old’s among Arsenal fans is naturally divided, but club legend Henry was all praise for the forward when discussing him on Prime Video.
‘He made me dream at Arsenal. He left, but I have always admired his desire and the way he presses.
‘We all know he’s quality but at Inter I said to myself, “He’s started to decline”. But, honestly, now that I’m in Marseille…
‘I visited him the day after a game. A man was sprinting on a treadmill. He’s a role model both on and off the field.
‘When you see a player who has won everything act like this, you feel compelled to follow in his footsteps.’
Sanchez won the FA Cup twice with Arsenal, as well as La Liga and Serie A titles and the Copa America twice with Chile.