Arsenal Arsenal Arsenal Alexis shouted with himself to smile He was very proud of his squad and especially his Chilean superstar What a signing he had been his teammates at the final whistle They were a close group of friends and they were in the mood for a party With an Arsenal scarf around his neck and a Chilean flag in his hands Alexis was one of the first players to walk up the stadium steps to collect his medal from Prince William As he passed the fans high-fived him and patted him on the back He was part of the Arsenal family now and he loved it It was great to get the medal but what he really wanted was the trophy Captains Per and Mikel Arteta were the first to lift it and then it was his turn Alexis shouted for joy as he raised it above his head He kissed it twice and passed it on to Jack Wilshere was wearing a silly red-and-white jester hat and he was having the time of his life We did it Jack told him giving him a big hug He 14 ALEXIS SÁNCHEZ
It wasn’t Alexis’s first trophy but it was certainly one of his favourites Down on the pitch there were more fireworks and Theo sprayed champagne everywhere The players thanked the fans by having photos taken with them It was a really great celebration Alexis wished that his family and friends could have come from Chile to share his special day but they had all sent him good luck messages It was an incredible way to end the best season of his career so far Twenty-five goals and twelve assists was a new record for Alexis The big-money transfer from Barcelona had put a lot of pressure on him to perform He had worked really hard and the players and fans had made him feel so welcome Arsenal Football Club felt like home and he was already excited about challenging for more trophies next year League Alexis told Mesut as they posed for more photos He had come a long way from Tocopilla Let’s win the Premier League and the Champions 15 THE WONDER BOY
CHAPTER 2 Tocopilla Humberto Alexis Dinner is ready Martina stood in the doorway of her house calling for her young sons They spent most of the summer days playing out in the streets but food usually brought them home She used to make them stay near the house but after a few broken windows she allowed them to play a little further away Tocopilla was a small town in northern Chile and Martina knew many people she could call if she was worried about them The rule was that Humberto had to take Alexis with him and keep him safe Alexis looked up to his older brother and wanted to copy everything he did and because 16
Alexis was already a good footballer Humberto didn’t mind him tagging along Martina’s daughter Marjorie was already at home setting the table she was the good child who always helped her mother unlike her wild brothers After she had called for the third time Martina finally heard the familiar sound of running feet and saw her sons making their way down Tocopilla’s long street Calle Orella Looking around her Martina thought back to better days when mining had brought money to the town Now however there were rusted cars and crumbling buildings everywhere The Sánchez home made of clay and wood was in real danger of falling down but there was nowhere else for them to go The skies were grey with pollution and the people of Tocopilla were struggling There was a reason why they called their town Devil’s Corner As they ran Humberto and Alexis passed an old football between themselves Each kick produced a big cloud of dust In the distance big waves broke on the seashore Alexis was much smaller than 17 THE WONDER BOY
