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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781786062079 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | John Blake Publishing, Limited |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2016 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 240 KB |
| Age Range: | 9 - 12 Years |
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Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
WINNING AT WEMBLEY
'Alexis Sánchez baby, Alexis Sánchez oooohhhhhhhh!'
Alexis could hear the Arsenal fans loud and clear as he warmed up on the Wembley pitch. He loved the song that they had made for him. There was still half an hour until kick-off but the atmosphere was already amazing. It was Arsenal's second FA Cup Final in a row but for Alexis, this was the chance to win a first English trophy, and what a trophy it was. Even as a kid growing up in Chile, Alexis knew about the oldest football competition in the world. It was a dream come true.
'Alexis, this is it,' Arsène Wenger said to him in the dressing room before the game, but he knew he didn't really need to inspire his superstar. 'You've had an amazing first year here but you need to end it with a winner's medal!'
As Alexis walked out on to the pitch, holding the hand of a mascot, fireworks went off all over the pitch. The FA Cup trophy was sitting there, shining brightly and waiting for him. He couldn't wait to get the ball and run at the Aston Villa defence. He knew it would be a tough game but there was no way he was going to lose this match. Alexis had been the Arsenal hero in the semi-final, scoring both goals to beat Reading. And he was determined to be the hero again in the final.
'We need to stay focused and we need to be patient,' Alexis said to Mesut Özil and Theo Walcott, his partners in attack. 'If we play well, we will score in the end.'
Alexis was right. Aston Villa stopped them again and again but the Gunners didn't give up or get frustrated. At the end of the first half, the Gunners finally scored and it was thanks to Alexis. Nacho Monreal crossed from the left and Alexis was there at the back post. He couldn't get enough power to head for goal so instead he headed the ball across to Theo, who smashed it into the back of the net. They had that goal they needed.
'I'm not done yet,' Alexis told Mesut once Arsène had given his half-time team talk. The important message was that they were only halfway to victory. 'I want to win but I also want to score!'
Five minutes into the second half, Alexis chased across the pitch to get to the ball first. The Aston Villa defenders backed away in fear of what he might do with his brilliant skill. Alexis had the space he needed for one of his trademark long-range shots. With his right foot, he hit the ball with so much power and swerve that the goalkeeper could do nothing as it sailed over his head. Alexis couldn't believe it; he had scored and it was one of his best goals ever.
Per Mertesacker scored a third and Olivier Giroud made it four. 4–0 – what a way to win the FA Cup Final! On the touchline, Arsène clapped and allowed himself to smile. He was very proud of his squad and especially his Chilean superstar. What a signing he had been.
'Arsenal! Arsenal! Arsenal!' Alexis shouted with 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.
'We did it!' Jack told him, giving him a big hug. He was wearing a silly red-and-white jester hat and he was having the time of his life.
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.
'Let's win the Premier League and the Champions League!' Alexis told Mesut as they posed for more photos.
He had come a long way from Tocopilla.
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 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 Humberto but he was always determined to keep up with his older brother. Martina could see the smiles on their faces from a hundred metres away.
'Sorry we're late, Mum,' Humberto said as they rushed through the broken metal gate. They were both out of breath and covered in sweat. 'It was a really important football match but don't worry, Alexis scored the winning goal!'
Alexis nodded with pride. 'It was a beauty, Mum, you should have seen it! We were playing against nine- year-olds and I dribbled past five of them. They tried to foul me but I kept going. I was just too quick for them!'
Martina wanted to be angry but looking at the grin on Alexis's face, that just wasn't possible. 'That's great, darling. Leave that filthy football outside please. Now go and wash yourselves quickly. Hurry, dinner's getting cold.'
The Sánchez family sat down together to eat lentils and rice. Without the support of her husband, Martina had to work very hard to feed her children and make sure that they had clothes to wear. She was a cleaner at the local school and in the summer when the term was over, she travelled over fifty miles a day to sell fish. Life was never easy. Uncle Jose did as much as he could to be a father-figure for the boys but he had a family of his own to look after. Looking at her sons as they wolfed down their food, she could see a few new holes in their clothes that she would need to sew up. And they would soon grow out of those garments and need more. Everything cost money. 'At least they are happy,' Martina thought to herself. She was desperate to protect her sons from the dangers that surrounded them, especially crime and alcohol.
In between mouthfuls, the room was filled with the sound of squabbling and laughter. Marjorie rolled her eyes as Alexis told the story of his winning goal for the tenth time. Each time, he added a new detail until it was the greatest goal ever scored.
'... and then I took it round another opponent, and then another and finally I flicked it up over my head and volleyed it into the top corner.'
His family soon brought him back down to earth.
'The way you tell it, there must have been fifty players on the team!'
'Top corner?! The goal didn't even have a net!'
'Son, you tell a great story but I don't believe a word you say!'
Alexis just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He knew how good the goal was and that was all that mattered. He would dream about it for weeks, or at least until he scored a better one.
The boys had seconds and then thirds, and then washed and dried the dishes. Just as they sat down in front of the old TV to fight over the remote, Martina called out from the kitchen. 'Humberto, Alexis, come here! I have some jobs for the men of the house.'
Her sons groaned loudly. 'Mum, we're too tired – we've been playing football all day!' 'That's no excuse – we need wood for the stove, and there's a door handle that needs fixing. If you play all day, you have to work all night!'
CHAPTER 3
THE HERO OF CANCHA LAZARETO
Alexis put one rock down and then marked out five paces and put the second rock down. 'Is that big enough for the goal?'
'Yes, looks good – let's get this game started!' Sergio shouted from the other end of the pitch. This was Cancha Lazareto, their stadium, where the kids of Tocopilla played all day every day if they could. It wasn't perfect – there were no goals and only random patches of dry grass amongst the dirt – but it was good enough for now. Most of them played barefoot and so they spent a few minutes every morning clearing stones and rubbish into a pile in the corner. The only spectators were a pack of wild dogs that circled the town looking for scraps of food. They weren't scary but if they got too close to the pitch, the kids threw stones at them to keep them away.
'Why can't people just use bins?' Humberto asked as he collected up all of the beer cans.
They had fourteen players so far, enough for seven-a-side. Kids would come and go throughout the day but fourteen was a good start. Humberto and Juan were usually the team captains and they turned around while the others chose numbers.
'9,' Humberto called first and Diego, one of the weaker players, walked over to join Team A. Humberto did not look happy.
'3,' Juan called next and Gonzalo, one of the best players, joined Team B. 'Yes!' Juan cheered and high- fived his new teammate.
Humberto picked '2' and got Carlos, who could barely kick the ball; Juan picked '12' and got Dani, the best player in Tocopilla. The teams didn't look fair at all. Alexis was '11', the same number as his hero Marcelo Salas wore on his shirt for the Chilean national side. Alexis was pleased to be on the same side as his brother but Humberto didn't see it that way.
'Their team is amazing,' he moaned, kicking at the dirt. 'We've got no chance.'
'Let's wait and see,' Alexis said with quiet confidence. He was ready for this. 'The Sánchez brothers can beat anyone!'
Alexis was the youngest and smallest player there but that didn't scare him. This was his favourite kind of football. He was used to playing against older kids, and he preferred it that way. He enjoyed the challenge, the test of his strength and skill. If opponents kicked him, it just made him more determined to beat them.
And Alexis was feeling good about today and he really hoped that Uncle Jose would turn up to watch the game. Jose often came down to Cuarta Poniente once he had finished his work for the day to cheer his nephews on. He seemed certain that Alexis would grow up to be a superstar – 'One day, I'll watch you on TV!' he often said when he came round for dinner. Jose was Alexis's biggest fan and he loved him for that.
The game kicked off and their team was soon 1–0 down. Carlos was in goal and he let the ball trickle slowly between his legs. Humberto was furious. 'What was that? You're rubbish!' he shouted, waving his arms around like a madman. Alexis put a hand on his brother's shoulder to calm him down. The game had only just begun; there was plenty of time left to win the match.
Humberto got the ball in the middle of the pitch. He looked to his left, and then to his right; none of his teammates were in space on the wings. What could he do? The only option was Alexis, who was playing the 'Salas' role as the striker. He looked tiny next to the big defender. Humberto played the ball into his brother's feet and watched in awe as he flicked it cleverly around his marker, dribbled past another and then fired the ball off the left rock and into the goal. 'Wow,' he said to himself. He didn't like it but he knew his brother would soon be much better than him.
Alexis celebrated with a somersault, landing perfectly on his feet. He had scored another great goal, and he imagined thousands of fans watching it on TV, cheering for him. He could feel his heart beating really fast in his chest; this was his favourite feeling in the world. He just wanted to do it again and again. So that's what he did. The pitch was quite small but they still couldn't keep up with him. And because he was so strong, they couldn't push him off the ball either. And when they managed to surround him, Alexis just passed it for Humberto to score instead. The Sánchez brothers were everywhere, making sure that Juan, Dani and Gonzalo didn't get a second of peace.
After an hour, their opponents called for a time-out. 'When did your brother become so good?' Juan asked as he lay in the dirt trying to get his breath back.
Humberto just shrugged. When had Alexis become so good? And just how good could he become?
CHAPTER 4
FOOTBALL BOOTS I
'Alexis, do a somersault for us!' Darío, their neighbour called out, as he put a bowl of water out for their dog, Perdita. The Sánchez brothers were playing outside their house, throwing stones at a paint can they had placed in the street. With no breeze coming in from the sea, it was too hot for football.
Alexis groaned – not again! He was tired of doing his tricks. He wasn't a circus act.
'Come on, please! Look, here's a peso for you,' Darío said, flicking a coin over the low fence to him. Alexis's eyes lit up – another bit of money to put towards his football boots. For that, he was happy to entertain anyone. He'd been saving up for months and months, but he still had a long way to go.
Darío's young daughters came out to watch the big performance. If Alexis did the first one well, perhaps they would pay him to do another, and then another. He could only hope. He put all of his effort into making it the best somersault he'd ever done. He jumped as high as he could, tucked his legs tightly into his chest and bent his knees as he landed. Everyone clapped and he took a bow.
'Again! Again!' Darío's daughters cheered.
Alexis gave them a cheeky grin. 'Sorry, that'll be another peso!'
'An entertainer and a businessman!' Darío replied, reaching into his pocket for another coin.
Alexis smiled and got ready to do it all over again. He wanted football boots more than anything in the world. Most nights he dreamed about the day when he would put them on and lace them up. With proper boots, he would have so much more power for his shooting. He would be unstoppable.
Once their neighbours had enjoyed the performance and gone back inside, Humberto tried to grab the money from his brother's pocket.
'Hey, get off me! What are you doing?' Alexis shouted, pushing him away.
'You know the rule – any money we make, we give to Mum. She needs us to help her.'
Alexis felt a little guilty but he was determined to make his dreams come true. 'That's only the money we get from washing and looking after cars. This is my money for football boots. And besides, buying football boots will help Mum more in the long run. I'm going to become a professional footballer and when I do, she'll never have to work again!'
Humberto rolled his eyes and walked back into the house. All of his friends had the same big dream. Alexis was much better than them but even so; growing up in a small port town, miles away from Santiago, the capital city, it was pretty unlikely that anyone would spot Alexis's talent. But he really hoped his brother was right to have such faith in his skills.
*
Every year at Christmas, the council drove a pick-up truck through the streets of Tocopilla giving out gifts to the people. It was a local tradition and the biggest day of the year for the young ones. For some of them, these might be the only presents they would get. Times were very hard for the people of Tocopilla.
'Kids, hurry, the truck will be coming soon!' Martina called out. Marjorie and Humberto were too old to get really excited about it, but Alexis still loved the event. He sprinted through the house and was the first one out on to the street. He loved the party atmosphere of the day, with loud music playing and the amazing smells of traditional Chilean cooking drifting through the air. Alexis had already had dinner but he suddenly felt very hungry. The adults laughed and danced, and the kids ran up and down the road, impatient for the arrival of the truck.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Alexis Sanchez: The Wonder Boy"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Tom and Matt Oldfield.
Excerpted by permission of John Blake Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Title Page,
Dedication,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
CHAPTER 1 – WINNING AT WEMBLEY,
CHAPTER 2 – TOCOPILLA,
CHAPTER 3 – THE HERO OF CANCHA LAZARETO,
CHAPTER 4 – FOOTBALL BOOTS I,
CHAPTER 5 – SCHOOL DAYS FOR 'DILLA',
CHAPTER 6 – FOOTBALL BOOTS II,
CHAPTER 7 – THE NUMBER 10 ROLE,
CHAPTER 8 – SCOUTED,
CHAPTER 9 – EARLY DAYS AT COBRELOA,
CHAPTER 10 – PLAYING WITH THE BIG BOYS,
CHAPTER 11 – NEXT STEPS TO GREATNESS,
CHAPTER 12 – INTEREST FROM ITALY,
CHAPTER 13 – CHAMPION OF CHILE,
CHAPTER 14 – AN ARGENTINIAN EDUCATION,
CHAPTER 15 – READY FOR SERIE A,
CHAPTER 16 – ALEXIS & ANTONIO,
CHAPTER 17 – BEGINNING AT BARÇA,
CHAPTER 18 – THE WONDER BOY IS BACK,
CHAPTER 19 – THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME,
CHAPTER 20 – HEARTBREAK IN BRAZIL,
CHAPTER 21 – GUNNING FOR GLORY,
CHAPTER 22 – PREMIER LEAGUE LIFE,
CHAPTER 23 – TROPHY TIME,
Also by Tom and Matt Oldfield,
Copyright,