Carlos Sanchez

Carlos Alberto Sanchez Moreno (born 6 February 1986) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Colombian club Santa Fe. He is nicknamed La Roca (The Rock), due to his strength.

He began his career at River Plate Montevideo before moving to Valenciennes in 2007, where he made 178 Ligue 1 appearances and scored ten goals across six seasons. He later played in La Liga for Elche and Espanyol, the Premier League for Aston Villa and Serie A for Fiorentina.

A full international since 2007, Sanchez has earned over 80 caps for Colombia. He was part of the squads that reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 Copa America, 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa America, and finished third in the 2016 Copa America Centenario and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Colombia

Born in Quibdo, Choco, Sanchez moved to a football school in Medellin and then onto Uruguayan club Danubio, where he signed his first professional contract in 2003 and was a teammate of Edinson Cavani. However, he was released two years later, making no first-team appearances.

In the summer of 2005, Sanchez joined fellow league team River Plate Montevideo. He featured in 40 matches during his two-year spell, scoring once.

Valenciennes

In July 2007, Sanchez was bought by a group of investors and was assigned to Rangers de Talca, subsequently moving abroad for the first time in his career, by agreeing to a five-year deal with Ligue 1 side Valenciennes. He made his debut on 4 August, starting in a 3–1 home win against Toulouse.

Sanchez featured regularly for the side in his debut campaign, and was an ever-present figure during the following seasons. In March 2010, he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, being sidelined nearly a year.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Карлос Санчес (russian)