Nicolás Gabriel Sánchez (born 4 February 1986) is an Argentine former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Career

Born in the

Mataderos Mataderos (Spanish for "slaughterhouses") is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the three ''barrios'' that make up the Comuna 9, alongside Liniers and Parque Avellaneda. Located in the south-west end of the city, ...

neighborhood of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Sánchez began playing football as a midfielder in

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...

' youth system. He became a professional with Nueva Chicago, with whom he made his debut in the 2003–04

Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; en, "First Division"), known officialy as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Binance for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). Th ...

, on 26 June 2004 against Independente. Nueva Chicago was relegated soon after, and Sánchez continued to be part of the club's first team during the next two seasons in the

Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, in English "National B Division", and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 37 tea ...

. In early 2006, Nueva Chicago's manager Rodolfo Motta converted Sánchez to a centre back following an injury to the club's regular defender, and within six months the club was promoted to the Primera División for the 2006–07 season. After Nueva Chicago was relegated again at the end of the 2006–07 season, Sánchez joined rivals River Plate for the 2007–08 season. River Plate would win the Clausura 2008 during his tenure with the club. However, Sánchez struggled with injuries, missing almost a year with a broken bone in his foot, and in 2010, after River Plate re-appointed manager,

Ángel Cappa Ángel Alberto Cappa Polchi (born September 6, 1946) is an Argentine football manager and former player. Playing career Cappa played for Olimpo and in Villa Mitre in the 1960s and 1970s, in Bahía Blanca. His career was undistinguished. Coachi ...

, and Sánchez left the club for Godoy Cruz on a free transfer. Sánchez spent the next four seasons with Godoy Cruz. The club achieved mid-table finishes, and Sánchez participated in the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

twice. Racing Club's manager

Diego Cocca Diego Martín Cocca (born 11 February 1972) is an Argentine former footballer and current manager. He played professional football for several clubs in Argentina, Spain and Mexico, he is the manager of Tigres UANL. Playing career Club Cocca sta ...

signed Sánchez on 1 July 2014. Racing had narrowly avoided relegation in the prior season, and Sánchez would become a key part of Racing's defense as the club bounced back to win the Primera División title.

Honours

River Plate *

: 2008 Clausura Racing Club *

: 2014 Primera Monterrey *

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

: Apertura 2019 *

Copa MX The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it wa ...

: Apertura 2017, 2019–20 *

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Individual *

Best XI: Apertura 2017, Apertura 2019 *

Golden Ball:

Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

Argentine Primera statistics
at Fútbol XXI {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Nicolas Footballers from Buenos Aires 1986 births Living people Argentine footballers Argentine expatriate footballers Association football midfielders Club Atlético Nueva Chicago footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba footballers Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers C.F. Monterrey players Argentine Primera División players Primera Nacional players Liga MX players Expatriate footballers in Mexico