Gary Medel and Fernando Meneses have declared that Chile needAlexis Sánchez to lead the way at Copa América 2015, calling on him to be as influential as Argentina superstar Lionel Messi .
Alexis and Messi were team-mates at Barcelona before the former swapped the Catalan giants for Arsenal in July last year.
The 26-year-old settled quickly in north London, scoring 16 goals as the Gunners finished third in the Premier League to automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League group stage.
Alexis’ next challenge will be helping hosts Chile challenge for their first ever Copa América title, and his international team-mate Medel thinks he can provide a Messi-like figure to lead la Roja’s tilt.
“Alexis is the one that can make the difference for us. He has to be our Messi. I think he’s the best player in the history of Chilean football,” Medel told TVN.
“We believe we can do something big in the Copa América, but we have to be careful with the other teams. We hope that the cup stays home, it would be a very beautiful thing.”
Meneses echoed the sentiments of the Inter midfielder, opining that the Arsenal man can be just as good as his former Barcelona team-mate.
“I agree with Gary. Alexis, with his attributes, can reach Messi’s level,” he said in a press conference.
Chile’s first game at Copa América 2015 is against Ecuador in Santiago on June 11.
Bron: ca2015.com