Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Robert Sánchez
Spanish footballer (born 1997) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Robert Lynch Sánchez (born 18 November 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Chelsea and the Spain national team.
Remove ads
Club career
Summarize
Perspective
Early life and career
Sánchez was born in Cartagena, Region of Murcia.[1] He was born to a Jamaican-English father and Spanish-French mother.[3][4][5][6] He spent his early career playing locally with Escuela de Fútbol de Santa Ana, Cartagena FC and Ciudad Jardín[7] before joining Levante in 2010.[8]
Brighton & Hove Albion
Sánchez moved to England to sign for Brighton & Hove Albion at the age of 15, before signing his first professional contract in June 2015.[9][10] He signed a new three-year contract with the club in April 2018.[11]
Loan spells
In June 2018, Sánchez moved on loan to Forest Green Rovers for the 2018–19 season.[12] He played in the opening game of the season making his debut away at Grimsby where Rovers won 4–1.[13] Sánchez was recalled by parent club Brighton in January 2019 to provide cover as Albion's Mathew Ryan was called up for Australia for the Asian Cup.[14] He made 17 appearances for Forest Green that season, all coming in the league.[13]
On 24 July 2019, Sánchez joined Rochdale on loan for the 2019–20 season.[15] He made his debut for the club in a 3–2 away win over Tranmere Rovers.[16]
Return to Brighton
On 1 November 2020, Sánchez made his Brighton debut, playing in a 2–1 defeat in a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur.[17][18] On 23 February 2021, Sánchez signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Brighton, running until June 2025.[19]
Sánchez was sent off in the 1–1 home draw against Newcastle United on 6 November, in Brighton's eleventh match of the 2021–22 season, for fouling Callum Wilson who was within a goalscoring opportunity.[20] He kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 win over Manchester United on 7 May 2022, helping Brighton earn their record top flight victory, with his long-range pass providing a crucial role in Pascal Groß's goal.[21]
In the second half of the 2022–23 season Sánchez lost his number one spot to long standing back-up keeper Jason Steele, with Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi saying that "he is sad for Robert" and that he has "one of the best relationships" with the player.[22] He was selected to play instead of Steele on 19 March, keeping a clean sheet in the 5–0 FA Cup quarter-final win over League Two side Grimsby at Falmer Stadium.[23] On 15 April, with Steele injured, Sánchez played against Chelsea in a 2–1 away win.[24] Eight days later he retained his place, keeping a clean sheet against Manchester United in 120 minutes of play in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, but failing to save a penalty in the eventual shootout loss.[25]
Chelsea
On 3 August 2023, it was reported that Brighton had agreed a transfer fee, with fellow Premier League club Chelsea, worth an initial £20 million, plus £5 million in add-ons, for Sánchez.[26][27] The transfer was completed on 5 August, with the player signing a seven-year contract.[28][29] On 8 August, Chelsea confirmed that he would wear the vacant number 31 shirt for the upcoming 2023–24 season.[30] On 13 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool in the Premier League.[31] Following Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan move to Real Madrid, on 17 August, Sánchez opted to switch his shirt number to No.1.[32]
In October 2023, he was described by pundit Karen Bardsley as possibly "Chelsea's smartest signing" due to "the positive effect he's had on a team which is in transition".[33] By January 2025, new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he was considering dropping Sánchez, following a series of errors.[34]
On 13 July 2025, Sánchez won the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in a 3–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.[35] He was widely praised for his performance in the final, making several key saves to preserve the clean sheet, thus helping him win the tournament's Golden Glove award.[36][37][38]
Remove ads
International career
Sánchez received his first call-up to the Spanish national team in March 2021, for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.[39]
He was selected to the Spain squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in May 2021.[40] Sánchez and David de Gea remained as understudies to Unai Simón and did not make an appearance as Spain were knocked out on penalties against Italy in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium on 6 July.[41]
He made his international debut on 5 September 2021, replacing Simón in the second half of a World Cup qualifier 4–0 win against Georgia in Badajoz.[42]
Sánchez was part of Spain's 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals squad in October.[43] He remained as back-up and did not make an appearance in either the semi-final victory over Italy or the final loss against France as Spain finished as runners-up.[44][45]
On 11 November 2022, Sánchez was named in Spain's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,[46] but he was not called up for UEFA Euro 2024.[47]
Remove ads
Style of play
Sánchez has said that he modelled himself on Spanish goalkeepers Iker Casillas and David de Gea.[10]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 13 July 2025
- Appearances in EFL Trophy
- Appearance in UEFA Conference League
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International
- As of match played 18 November 2024[56]
Remove ads
Honours
Chelsea
Spain
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2020–21[45]
Individual
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads