Arsenal: Sanchez Comparison To Messi, Ronaldo Ambitious
Alexis Sanchez has compared himself to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It is somewhat an ambitious statement from the Arsenal star.
Confidence is an admirable quality. Having the belief in one’s own abilities, expertise and qualities is a shared mental attribute that successful people, in all walks of life share. Arsenal have a squad that is often criticised for lacking a winning mentality. Well, if confidence is a key aspect of that mental state, then Alexis Sanchez has it in spades.
Now, I am a huge believer in Sanchez’s quality. He is one of the few world class players in Arsenal’s squad, has been outstanding since joining from Barcelona two years ago and has developed a relationship with Mesut Ozil that brings a refreshing lease of life to an attack that would otherwise be suffocated by its own stagnation and lethargy.
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Consequently, I am usually on board Sanchez praising his own quality, as he is simply stating what I believe anyway. There is, however, a limit to such high praise, and comparing yourself to the greatness of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is a step , at least for myself as an external observer of Sanchez’s play over the past two seasons, into the borderline deluded.
Sanchez is a terrific player. But, his self-evaluation is undermined with comments like this:
“I have reached a level where I can compete with great players. I do not feel inferior to anybody. I liken [my qualities] to Messi and Ronaldo. I have the same abilities as them.”
Perhaps deluded is a little harsh of me. Maybe ambitious is a better word to delineate Sanchez’s statement. While few would agree that the Chilean is on the same level as two of the greatest footballers to ever grace this fine earth, two players that have become entwined with the success of one another, altering the face of the game with every magical touch of the ball that they take, he is still considered a prestigious talent.
Messi and Ronaldo, though, are a step above the rest. There are elite level players and then there is Messi and Ronaldo. The two are truly phenomenal, words cannot match their greatness. Sanchez, meanwhile, can be described by the mere English language. Sharp, relentless, dangerous. He is all these things and more, but he does not transcend his sport and the ones who try to describe is like the two protagonists of the last decade.
The confidence that Sanchez displays is admirable, almost inspirational. It is also unfounded, unsubstantiated and wholly ambitious.