Football Wonderkid Scout

Arguably one of the standout players of the World Cup in South Africa has been Chile's Alexis Sánchez. His impressive performances have led to comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo and the Chilean superstar will now be a wanted man. With some of Europe's biggest clubs circling around the talent, it appears Manchester United and Roma are heading up the queue. Sir Alex Ferguson is reported to have stepped up his interest in Chilean international Alexis Sanchez after the player issued a ‘come and get me’ plea to clubs from Spain and England. He said, “My agent has told me that a lot of big clubs have asked about me. I’m still focused on Udinese, but I have personal ambitions this summer and England and Spain are sensational leagues.” After failing to retain the Premier League title, it can be argued that Manchester United missed the creativity and dribbling skills of Cristiano Ronaldo at times. Sánchez who is a long-term target of the Red Devils is seen as the player who can fill that void and potentially team up with Wayne Rooney to form a potent attacking force. Nicknamed 'El Nino Maravilla' (which translates the wonder boy), the Chilean talent is exactly that. The 21 year-old is blessed with his fantastic dribbling ability at explosive pace, has excellent technique and an eye for goal. A good crosser of the ball with a variety of tricks up his sleeve, the versatile player who can operate on either wing or alone up front, has all the attributes to be one of the next superstars of world football. If there was any weakness or area of improvement to his game, you could argue that he would need to adapt to the physical requirements of some leagues such as the English Premiership and if deployed as a striker, would need to become more clinical after scoring just 8 goals in 62 matches for Serie A club Udinese.

With a good attitude and temprament off the pitch, Sánchez's roots lie in Tocopilla, a coastal town in northern Chile. His footballing path began at Cobreloa in 2004, where he made his debut as a 16-year-old, quickly impressing onlookers with mature performances. His excellent form was not only confined to the domestic arena, but also in the Copa Libertadores in 2005. After scoring 12 goals in 51 games in all competitions, he was signed by Italian outfit Udinese for a fee in the region of $3 million and was then loaned out to Colo-Colo, who paid $150,000 for his services. During his time he helped the Chilean club win both the 2006 Clausura (closing) Championships and the 2007 Apertura (opening) Championships, of which they won both. Three trophies later he was loaned out to Buenos Aires based River Plate to continue his development. It was here where supporters of