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Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has described the journey that took him from a rocky five-a-side pitch behind his childhood home in Cartagena, Spain, to becoming the club's first-choice keeper. The 27-year-old holds three senior Spain international caps and joined Chelsea after establishing himself at Brighton.
Sanchez began playing football aged four at local academy Escuela de Futbol Santa Ana, where he was placed in goal on his first day. The pitches were sand and rock, and he trained in padded clothing that offered little protection from the constant grazes.
'I'd wear long trousers, padded elbows, pads on my hips and my knees, but it made no difference,' Sanchez said. 'They would just rip apart and you'd get burns every day.'
At nine, Sanchez moved to Real Murcia, the biggest club in the area, where he trained on artificial grass for the first time. He credits Spain's structured goalkeeping culture — dedicated sessions, specialist coaches, and nationwide competitions — with accelerating his development.
'It's a really good country for goalkeeping,' he said. 'That's why now we probably have the most high-level goalkeepers in Europe.'
At 14, Sanchez entered a competition to attend a Chelsea training camp in Malaga. He won a place but had to leave before the scouting week to attend a trial at Levante, which he passed immediately. He spent a year at Levante's academy, where the goalkeeper ranks at the time included Keylor Navas.
'He used to fly,' Sanchez said of Navas.
Brighton signed Sanchez at 15. He spent two years in digs with a British host family before progressing through the academy. By his first full year with the club he was training consistently with the first team.
'When I joined Brighton at 15, I couldn't kick the ball. I couldn't catch the ball. I couldn't claim any crosses,' he said. 'Brighton helped me grow up fast as a goalkeeper.'
Loan spells at Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale provided his first senior experience. He established himself as Brighton's first-choice keeper shortly before his 23rd birthday before eventually moving to Chelsea.
The goalkeeper noted the coincidence of his early near-miss with the club. 'Who knows, maybe I would have been a Chelsea player earlier,' he said. 'It was about 15 years ago now. So it's funny that I have ended up playing for Chelsea.'