Thierry Henry has somewhat surprisingly labelled Alexis Sanchez a ‘role model on and off the pitch’ despite his infamous exit from Arsenal.
Sanchez was for a time the best player at the Emirates, and perhaps even in the Premier League, having recorded 125 goal contributions in 166 games from 2014 to 2018.
However, his time at Arsenal came to an unpleasant end when he attempted to force his way out of the club, eventually joining rivals Manchester United in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
To Gunners fans this was a huge betrayal 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 at Old Trafford, he spent time at Inter Milan before joining Olympique Marseille last summer where he has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence, scoring 13 in 28 games so far this season.
The 34-year-old’s reputation among Arsenal supporters is naturally divided, but club legend Henry was only full of praise when discussing the forward on Prime Video.
‘At Arsenal, he made me dream. He left but I always liked his desire, 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 at Marseille…
‘I went to see him the day after a game. Man was on a treadmill to do sprints. He’s a role model, on and off the pitch too.
‘When you see such a player, who’s won it all, behave like this, you feel compelled to follow his example.’
Sanchez lifted the FA Cup twice at Arsenal, while he has also won La Liga and Serie A titles, as well as the Copa America twice with Chile.
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