Carlos Sánchez (footballer, born 1986)
![]() Sánchez with West Ham United in 2019 | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Carlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno[1] | |||||||||||||
Date of birth | [2] | 6 February 1986|||||||||||||
Place of birth | Quibdó, Colombia | |||||||||||||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | |||||||||||||
Position(s) |
Centre-back | |||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||
2003–2005 | Danubio | |||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
2005–2007 | River Plate Montevideo | 40 | (1) | |||||||||||
2007–2013 | Valenciennes | 178 | (10) | |||||||||||
2013–2014 | Elche | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||
2014–2017 | Aston Villa | 48 | (1) | |||||||||||
2016–2017 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 31 | (1) | |||||||||||
2017–2018 | Fiorentina | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||
2018 | → Espanyol (loan) | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||
2018–2020 | West Ham United | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||
2021 | Watford | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||
2021–2023 | Santa Fe | 51 | (3) | |||||||||||
2023–2024 | San Lorenzo | 41 | (0) | |||||||||||
2024 | Barracas Central | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
2007–2018 | Colombia | 88 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:00, 10 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 July 2018 |
Carlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno (born 6 February 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is nicknamed La Roca (The Rock), due to his strength.[4]
He began his career at
A full international since 2007, Sánchez has earned over 80 caps for Colombia. He was part of the squads that reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 Copa América, 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Copa América, and finished third in the 2016 Copa América Centenario and 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Colombia
Born in
In the summer of 2005, Sánchez joined fellow league team River Plate Montevideo. He featured in 40 matches during his two-year spell, scoring once.
Valenciennes

In July 2007, Sánchez 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.
Sánchez 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.[5]
After making 148 appearances for the club, scoring 8 goals in the league, Sánchez left the club in the summer of 2012 when his contract expired. After long negotiations with
Elche
On 16 August 2013, Sánchez signed a three-year deal with Spanish side Elche, freshly promoted to La Liga,[9] for a €3.7 million fee.[10] He made his debut on 24 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Real Sociedad.[11]
Aston Villa
On 15 August 2014,
Fiorentina
On 10 August 2016, after Villa's relegation, Sánchez was loaned to
RCD Espanyol
On 31 January 2018, Sánchez returned to La Liga on loan to
West Ham United

On 9 August 2018, Sánchez signed a two-year deal with Premier League club West Ham United.[24] Having made just six appearances, in September 2018 he injured his knee in an EFL Cup game against Macclesfield Town requiring knee surgery.[25] He returned to the first team in May 2019, playing in their 3–0 home win against Southampton.[26][27] In June 2020, West Ham confirmed his departure from the club at the end of the month.[28]
Watford
On 4 March 2021, Sanchez joined English side
He left Watford at the end of the season following the expiration of his contract.[31]International career
Sánchez made his international debut against
Sánchez was included in Colombia's squad for the 2015 Copa América, where he was credited with "dominating" Neymar during his man of the match performance in the 1–0 group stage defeat of Brazil in Santiago.[32][33]
His performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup was poor. He got a red card for stretching his hand to block Shinji Kagawa's shot in the 3rd minute against Japan, denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity and giving away a penalty, which led to a 2–1 win for the Japanese. Then in the round-of-16, when defending a corner kick, he pulled down Harry Kane in the 57th minute to give away a penalty, which Kane converted.
Only José Batista of Uruguay in 1986 was sent off earlier in a World Cup game.[34] Sánchez received death threats for his red card, which were likened by BBC Sport to the assassination of Colombia player Andrés Escobar for his own goal at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Manager José Pékerman dedicated the team's 3–0 win over Poland to the suspended Sánchez.[35]
Personal life
Sánchez is married to Noelia Polvoria, whom he met in Montevideo.[4]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played on 10 April 2024[36]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
River Plate Montevideo | 2005–06[37] | Uruguayan Primera División | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
2006–07[37] | 26 | 1 | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||||
Total | 40 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 1 | |||||
Valenciennes | 2007–08[37] | Ligue 1 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |
2008–09[37] | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | |||
2009–10[37] | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | |||
2010–11[37] | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | |||
2011–12[37] | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | |||
2012–13[37] | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
Total | 178 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 185 | 10 | |||
Elche | 2013–14[37] | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||
Aston Villa | 2014–15[37] | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | |
2015–16[37] | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
Total | 48 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 56 | 1 | |||
Fiorentina | 2016–17[37] | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
2017–18[37] | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||
Total | 40 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 52 | 2 | |||
Espanyol (loan) | 2017–18[37] | La Liga | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
West Ham United | 2018–19[37] | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
2019–20[37] | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |||
Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
Watford | 2020–21[37] | Championship | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
Santa Fe | 2021[37] | Categoría Primera A | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 11 | 1 | |
2022[37] | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 43 | 2 | |||
Total | 51 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 3 | ||
San Lorenzo | 2023[37] | Argentine Primera División | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
2024[37] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
Career total | 446 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 507 | 17 |
International
- As of match played 3 July 2018[38]
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Colombia | |||
2007 | 5 | 0 | |
2008 | 6 | 0 | |
2011 | 7 | 0 | |
2012 | 8 | 0 | |
2013 | 10 | 0 | |
2014 | 10 | 0 | |
2015 | 10 | 0 | |
2016 | 12 | 0 | |
2017 | 10 | 0 | |
2018 | 10 | 0 | |
Total | 88 | 0 |
Honours
Aston Villa
Independiente Santa Fe
Colombia
- Copa América third place: 2016[40]
References
- ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Colombia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
- ^ "Carlos Sánchez: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Barclays Premier League Player Profile". web page. Premier League. 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Hart, Simon (6 February 2015). "Carlos Sanchez interview: Midfielder ready to be a rock for Aston Villa revival". The Independent. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Blessure de Carlos Sanchez (Carlos Sánchez's injury) Archived 29 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Valenciennes' official website, 24 March 2010 (in French)
- ^ Trotters aren't plonkers: Bolton abandon Sanchez chase as his price doubles; Daily Mirror, 7 August 2012
- ^ Carlos whisper: West Ham plot cheeky swoop for Colombia's Sanchez; Daily Mirror, 1 August 2012
- ^ Valenciennes : C.Sanchez en prêt (Valenciennes: C. Sánchez on loan) Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Mercato 365, 25 August 2012 (in French)
- ^ Carlos Sánchez: "Di mi palabra al Elche y aquí estoy" (Carlos Sánchez: "I gave my word to Elche and here I am") Archived 29 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine; Elche's official website, 16 August 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ El Elche ficha al colombiano Carlos Sánchez (Elche signs Colombian Carlos Sánchez); Las Provincias, 5 August 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ Zurutuza despierta a la Real (Zurutuza awakes Real); Marca, 24 August 2013 (in Spanish)
- ^ "Carlos Sanchez: Aston Villa sign Colombia World Cup star". BBC Sport. 15 August 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Keegan, Mike (23 August 2014). "Aston Villa 1–0 Newcastle". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Sanghera, Mandeep (20 September 2014). "Aston Villa 0–3 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Begley, Emlyn (11 April 2015). "Tottenham 0–1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ Emons, Michael (25 April 2015). "Man City 3–2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ^ McNulty, Phil (30 May 2015). "Arsenal 4–0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ "Carlos Sanchez: Aston Villa midfielder joins Fiorentina on loan". BBC Sport. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Juventus 2–1 Fiorentina". BBC Sport. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Fiorentina 1-0 Chievo Verona". ESPN FC. PA Sport. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Gladwell, Ben (25 July 2017). "Fiorentina sign midfielder Jordan Veretout from Aston Villa". ESPN FC. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Carlos Sánchez new Espanyol player" (in Spanish). 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Carlos Sánchez debutó en el juego entre Espanyol y Barcelona" [Carlos Sánchez debuted in the game between Espanyol and Barcelona]. El País (in Spanish). EFE. 4 February 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Hammers sign Colombian international Carlos Sanchez - West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Carlos Sanchez: West Ham midfielder to undergo surgery on injured knee ligament". BBC Sport. 4 October 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Team news: Lanzini's back for Southampton clash - West Ham United". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "West Ham 3-0 Southampton: Arnautovic double seals win over Saints". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "West Ham: Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Sanchez and Jeremy Ngakia to leave on 30 June". BBC Sport. 25 June 2020.
- ^ "Carlos Sanchez: Watford sign former Aston Villa midfielder for rest of season". BBC Sport. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "Official: Hornets sign Sanchez". Watford FC. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ "News: Retain & Release List Confirmed". Watford FC. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ^ "Colombia's win down to Carlos Sanchez dominating Neymar". ESPN. 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Aston Villa player watch: Carlos Sanchez dominates Neymar in man of match showing against Brazil". Birmingham Mail. 18 June 2015.
- ^ Arena, Stuart James at the Mordovia. "Japan take full advantage of Colombia's calamitous start". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "World Cup 2018: Colombia dedicate win to Carlos Sanchez after death threats against midfielder". BBC Sport. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Carlos Sanchez". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "C. SÁNCHEZ". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ "Sánchez, Carlos". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "ALEXIS SANCHEZ LIFTS ARSENAL TO NEW HEIGHTS AGAINST VILLA". The Football Association. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "USA Defeated 1–0 by Colombia in 2016 Copa America Centenario Third Place Match". www.ussoccer.com. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
External links
- Carlos Sánchez at BDFutbol
- Carlos Sánchez at Soccerway
- Carlos Sánchez – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived)