Robert Lynch Sánchez (born 18 November 1997) is a Spanish 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 lea ...
who plays as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
for club
Chelsea and the
Spain national team.
Club career
Early life and career
Sánchez was born in
Cartagena,
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia (, ; ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. The region is in area and had a popul ...
.
He was born to a Jamaican-English father and Spanish mother. He spent his early career playing locally with Escuela de Fútbol de Santa Ana,
Cartagena FC
Cartagena Fútbol Club is a Spanish football team based in Cartagena, in the autonomous community of Murcia. They were formerly called UD Cartagenera. Founded in 1940, they are focused on youth football, and hold home games at ''Ciudad Deport ...
and Ciudad Jardín before joining
Levante in 2010.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Sánchez moved to England to sign for
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
at the age of 15, before signing his first professional contract in June 2015.
He signed a new three-year contract with the club in April 2018.
Loan spells
In June 2018, Sánchez moved on
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
to
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.
Formed in October 188 ...
for the 2018–19 season. He played in the opening game of the season making his debut away at
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
where Rovers won 4–1.
Sánchez was recalled by parent club Brighton in January 2019 to provide cover as Albion's
Mathew Ryan
Mathew David Ryan (born 8 April 1992) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for club Lens and captains the Australia national team.
Born in Sydney, Ryan played youth football for Marconi Stallions, Blacktown C ...
was called up for
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
for the
Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...
. He made 17 appearances for Forest Green that season, all coming in the league.
On 24 July 2019, Sánchez joined
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
on loan for the
2019–20 season. He made his debut for the club in a 3–2 away win over
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
.
Return to Brighton
On 1 November 2020, Sánchez made his Brighton debut, playing in a 2–1 defeat in a
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
match against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. On 23 February 2021, Sánchez signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Brighton, running until June 2025.
Sánchez was sent off in the 1–1 home draw against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
on 6 November, in Brighton's eleventh match of the
2021–22 season, for fouling
Callum Wilson
Callum Eddie Graham Wilson (born 27 February 1992) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Premier League club Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United and the Englan ...
who was within a goalscoring opportunity. He kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 win over
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on 7 May 2022, helping Brighton earn their record top flight victory, with his long-range pass providing a crucial role in
Pascal Groß
Pascal Alexander Groß ( born 15 June 1991) is a German professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder or full-back (association football), full-back for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national football ...
's goal.
In the second half of the
2022–23 season Sánchez lost his number one spot to long standing back-up keeper
Jason Steele, with Brighton head coach
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi (; born 6 June 1979) is an Italian professional football manager and former player, who is currently the head coach of Ligue 1 club Marseille.
Playing career
De Zerbi started his professional career at AC Milan. He spent four se ...
saying that "he is sad for Robert" and that he has "one of the best relationships" with the player. He was selected to play instead of Steele on 19 March, keeping a clean sheet in the 5–0
FA Cup quarter-final win over
League Two side
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
at Falmer Stadium. On 15 April, with Steele injured, Sánchez played against
Chelsea in a 2–1 away win. Eight days later he retained his place, keeping a clean sheet against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in 120 minutes of play in the FA Cup semi-final at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
, but failing to save a penalty in the eventual shootout loss.
Chelsea
On 3 August 2023, it was reported that Brighton had agreed a transfer fee, with fellow
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Chelsea, worth an initial £20 million, plus £5 million in add-ons, for Sánchez. The transfer was completed on 5 August, with the player signing a seven-year contract. On 8 August, Chelsea confirmed that he would wear the vacant number 31 shirt for the upcoming
2023–24 season. On 13 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the Premier League. Following
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born 3 October 1994), often referred to simply as Kepa, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Chelsea.
After progressing through Athletic Bilbao's youth academy, Arrizabalaga be ...
's loan move to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, on 17 August, Sánchez opted to switch his shirt number to No.1.
In October 2023, he was described by pundit
Karen Bardsley
Karen Louise Bardsley (born 14 October 1984) is an American-born English former Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.
She played for Sky Blue FC in the previous top-flight American Women' ...
as possibly "Chelsea's smartest signing" due to "the positive effect he's had on a team which is in transition". By January 2025, new Chelsea manager
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca (born 10 February 1980) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Premier League club Chelsea.
After starting out at West Bromwich Albion in 1998, he went on to play for several clubs in ...
said he was considering dropping Sánchez, following a series of errors.
International career
Sánchez was born in Spain to an English father and Spanish mother.
Sánchez received his first call-up to the
Spanish national team in March 2021, for
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification was the FIFA World Cup qualification, qualifying process which decided the 31 teams that would join hosts Qatar national football team, Qatar, who received an automatic spot, at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Par ...
matches against
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
.
He was selected to the Spain squad for the delayed
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...
tournament in May 2021. Sánchez and
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana (; born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Fiorentina. Considered one of the best keepers of his generation, he is known for his reflexes and shot-stopping capabilitie ...
remained as understudies to
Unai Simón
Unai Simón Mendibil (born 11 June 1997) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team.
Simón has spent his entire club career with Athletic, developing with their youth academy ...
and did not make an appearance as Spain were knocked out on penalties against
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in the semi-final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
on 6 July.
He made his international debut on 5 September 2021, replacing Simón in the second half of a World Cup qualifier 4–0 win against Georgia in
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...
.
Sánchez was part of Spain's
2021 UEFA Nations League Finals
The 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, 2020–21 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the second season of the international Association football, football competition involving the men' ...
squad in October. He remained as back-up and did not make an appearance in either the semi-final victory over Italy or the final loss against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
as Spain finished as runners-up.
On 11 November 2022, Sánchez was named in Spain's 26-man squad for the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, but he was not called up for
UEFA Euro 2024
The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...
.
Style of play
Sánchez has said that he modelled himself on Spanish goalkeepers
Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández (; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator. Popularly dubbed "''San Iker''" ("Saint Iker") for his ability to produce miracu ...
and
David de Gea
David de Gea Quintana (; born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Fiorentina. Considered one of the best keepers of his generation, he is known for his reflexes and shot-stopping capabilitie ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Chelsea
*
UEFA Conference League
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
:
2024–25
*
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
runner-up:
2023–24
Spain
*
UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
runner-up:
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
Individual
*
Premier League Save of the Month
The Premier League Save of the Month is an association football award that recognises the goalkeeper deemed to have made the best Premier League save in each month of the season from August to April. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the C ...
:
September 2023,
October 2024
References
External links
Profileat the Chelsea F.C. website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Robert
1997 births
Living people
Footballers from Cartagena, Spain
Spanish men's footballers
Spain men's international footballers
Spanish people of English descent
Spanish people of Jamaican descent
Men's association football goalkeepers
Cartagena FC players
Levante UD footballers
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Forest Green Rovers F.C. players
Rochdale A.F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
UEFA Conference League–winning players
English Football League players
Premier League players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Spanish expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England
21st-century Spanish sportsmen