Ahead of Sunday’s Confederations Cup final, Chilean star Alexis Sánchez dropped some hints about his future at Arsenal and beyond, even dropping a hint about a possible stop in a new South American country.
When first asked if he would join Chilean teammate Claudio Bravo at Manchester City, the 28-year-old forward laughed it off before saying that “right now I’m focused on the Confederations Cup. When this is finished I will see if I stay or go, I don’t know.”
Alexis did, however, say that he would like to play in Brazil one day, to take advantage of his one-on-one ball skills. “I would like to play in Brazil one day because there is so much joy. There are bicycle kicks, whips, everything.” said the striker. He also acknowledged that his tendency for solo flair needs to be kept in check in the meantime: “My individualism can sometimes play against me, but I know I need my teammates and they need me.”
As the tournament final approaches, Alexis also spoke about appreciating this generation of Chilean soccer stars before they’re done; they are the oldest team at the Confederations Cup, and their run will probably have a final push at next year’s World Cup. “We can make history, we have won in Spain, Argentina…we can beat anyone.”
Bravo agreed, adding “We have plenty of variables and we know well what we have to do. We have matured over time, growing as a group. We are not all friends but we have respected each other for a long time. The goal is to try to win this final.” Bravo continued, diagnosing what kind of game he expects in the final. “I see an open match with two teams that propose. We are clear about our role and I think the same about the other side. We have to try to take care of this so that we can all enjoy more competitions like this one in the future.”
A stacked Germany squad awaits Chile in the final. If the Chileans are going to have a chance, they will have to find a way to stop Germany’s high powered attack, which just dropped four goals on Mexico like it was nothing. Chile has had difficulties finding the back of the net thus far in the tournament, scoring more than one goal just once in their four matches. Their defense has been a highlight, however, and will have to be their backbone if they want any chance of winning. There is hope for La Roja: the two teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, with Chile seemingly outplaying the Germans.
The Confederations Cup final will take place in St. Petersburg at 2pm EDT on Sunday July 2nd.