Carlos Sánchez

Colombia

Born in Quibdó, Chocó, Sánchez moved to a football school in Medellín 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, 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. 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 Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, he failed to reach an agreement with any club, and subsequently rejoined his former club Valenciennes on 25 August 2012.

Elche

On 16 August 2013, Sánchez signed a three-year deal with Spanish side Elche, freshly promoted to La Liga, for a €3.7 million fee. He made his debut on 24 August, starting in…

Club

As of match played on 10 April 2024

International

As of match played 3 July 2018

Sánchez made his international debut against Panama on 9 May 2007. He was then included in the 34-man provisional squad for the Copa América 2007, but later dropped for the final list. He was in the first team for all of Colombia's matches for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification including the 2–1 victory over Argentina on 20 November 2007 in Bogotá. At the 2011 Copa América, he started three of Colombia's four matches as they reached the quarter-finals, coming into the team at the expense of Gustavo Bolívar after the opening game. He played in all five of Colombia's matches in the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014, playing a defensive role which allowed James Rodríguez and Juan Cuadrado to be attacking midfielders. 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. 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. Sánchez received death threats for his red card, which were likened…

Liverpool Montevideo

Sánchez began his career with lowly side Nueva Juventud Baby Fútbol, and had failed trials at Montevideo Wanderers, Fénix, Cerro and River Plate until joining Liverpool's youth setup after a recommendation from Carlos Iglesias, and old coach of his at Salus FC. He was promoted to the main squad in 2003 by manager Julio Ribas, only six months after arriving at the club. While at Liverpool, Sánchez played regularly for the club in the Uruguayan Primera División, and also overcame a serious injury which kept him sidelined for nearly two years.

Godoy Cruz

On 31 December 2009, Sánchez signed a two-year contract with Argentine Primera División side Godoy Cruz. He made his debut for the club the following 13 February, coming on as a second-half substitute for Leandro Torres in a 0–0 away draw against Huracán. Sánchez scored his first goal for Godoy Cruz on 3 March 2010, netting the winner in a 2–1 home defeat of Lanús. He became an undisputed starter for the side during the 2010–11 season, contributing with four goals in 33 appearances.

River Plate

On 20 July 2011, Sánchez and Godoy Cruz teammate Martín Aguirre joined River Plate for a fee of US$ 2.9 million. River retained 50% of his federative rights. He made his debut for the club on 17 August by playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 Primera B Nacional home win against Chacarita Juniors, and scored his first goal three days later by netting the last in a 3–1 away defeat of…

On 13 November 2014, Sánchez made his debut for the Uruguay football team at the age of 29 against Costa Rica, starting in a 3–3 draw. Sánchez was included in Uruguay's squad for the 2015 Copa América by coach Óscar Tabárez. He was also named among the 23-men for the Copa América Centenario. Sánchez scored his first goal for the Celestes on 28 March 2017, netting the opener in a 2–1 loss against Peru. In May of the following year, he was named in Uruguay's senior 26-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, being also included in the final list on 2 June.

Sánchez is married to Noelia Polvoria, whom he met in Montevideo.

Born in Montevideo, Sánchez was abandoned by his father at the age of eight, and lived with his mother and four brothers in his uncle's house; around that time, he started cutting his kinky hair short in order to avoid being mocked by his schoolmates. With his mother working as a domestic employee and his uncle as a bricklayer, Sánchez worked part-time on a bakery to help on providing food to the family.

Sánchez's half-brother Nicolás De La Cruz is also a footballer. He too was groomed at Liverpool, and played for River Plate and is now playing for flamengo. Sánchez obtained Argentine citizenship in December 2014.