Alexis wants to show his passion for United

Alexis Sanchez has a burning desire to succeed at Old Trafford and that shines through in abundance, during an illuminating interview for the April 2019 edition of Inside United magazine.

Our exclusive conversation with the passionate Chilean took place just before he was injured against Southampton and that blow will have hit the no.7 hard. But his determination to reward our supporters with match-winning performances and trophy successes still burns brightly.

“Obviously, I want to make the United fans really happy,” Alexis explains during his colourful interview with Inside United. “I want to score goals. I want to bring them joy. I want to win silverware.

“When we lost last year’s FA Cup final to Chelsea, I was not happy. Not happy at all. In fact, I was sad because I just wanted to make our wonderful supporters happy. I saw the fans who had come to pack out Wembley Stadium. They were all around me – all red. I liked it. Wembley was all red.”

Expanding on his wish to win trophies for our supporters, Alexis continues: “The goal there [at Wembley] against Tottenham comes to mind. It was such a great moment because the United fans were right on top of us and it was a lovely moment to be able to celebrate along with them.

“When I was younger, I liked United. I swear. As a small child, I liked United. I really liked them. And I want to show this and bring the people joy because, obviously, I want to win.”

In a pledge to the United fans, he says: “I want to keep showing my love for football. I know what I can do. I have belief in my ability. United are such an important club, not only in England but on a global level, and I would love to help bring a trophy to the supporters.”

So where does his passion and hunger for playing football come from? Specifically, it stems from the streets of Tocopilla in Chile and his upbringing there had a massive impact on his personality.

“It’s a small city,” Alexis explains when telling his story. “Listen, I love football. I love football! My passion is football. My other passions are my dogs and my family. They mean everything to me. Everything. Growing up, I always wanted to be a professional footballer – but in Chile. Always in Chile. I never dreamed of coming here to Europe. Never.

“It was always the Chilean league for me but my footballing journey continued and I played in Argentina and Italy. After that, I was like: ‘Wow, this is football! I love football! I kept on playing and I liked it even more. I liked different players, exceptional players who were out of the ordinary and like nothing I’d seen before.

“Back home in Chile, there was not as much technology as there is in Europe. You’d only see the Chilean TV channels showing the local football. You would never see clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona competing in La Liga. I didn’t know about them at that moment. That was my story then. I played at Cobreloa, River Plate, Udinese, Barcelona, Arsenal and now it’s Manchester United.”