I was 14 and had the opportunity to go to Brighton. There were a couple of teams interested in Spain, but I had always liked the Premier League Robert Sanchez on the path which led him to becoming Chelsea centurion

Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterRobert Sanchezs rise through the goalkeeping ranks has been anything but typical.He would swap Spain for Sussex as a schoolboy, signing for Brighton as a 15-year-old, in a move that these days would likely get scuppered by post-Brexit regulations.This teenage leap of faith would lead to a climb up through the divisions and prove to be the making of the Spaniard. You may like They keep putting out more rules so goalkeepers are able to do less at penalties. At this stage, they should just basically give a goal for winning the penalty Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez takes aim at footballs rule-makers Chelsea plot �50 million move for impressive Premier League newcomer: report My dad worked as an electrician at Stamford Bridge. Ive never lacked anything because my parents have always been there for me Nico Williams on his fathers Chelsea background Sanchez on his rise through the ranksI was 14, turning 15, and had the opportunity to go to Brighton, just to try the place, and for them to see me in person, Sanchez tells FourFourTwo of his decision to leave Levante for an initial trial at the then-Championship side.I impressed them, and they loved me. I enjoyed everything and just made the decision. Mum was happy, dad was happy. We decided to go along with it.After playing for the clubs under-18s and under-23s sides, a series of loan moves up through the EFL began. This started with a half-season spell at League Two at Forest Green Rovers, followed by a stint with Rochdale in the third tier for the 2019-20 campaign.At first, he was reluctant to head out elsewhere on loan. Critics have described the reserve pathway as an incubated environment in which academy players are left unprepared for the rigours of mens football. Is it any wonder, then, that leading lights at that level believe themselves capable of making the step up when they arent quite there yet?Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.After three years, Id trained plenty of times with the first team and felt like a first-team player, even though I wasnt really at the time, he admits. I felt comfortable at Brighton. It felt like home.I just wanted to stay there and, hopefully, would end up playing for the first team, but thats where having the right people around you helps, with my agent and the goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts, whos now with me at Chelsea. He knew what I really needed, which was to go on loan, to get hit, to feel the pressure and play with men. He pushed me to go on loan and experience that.I didnt really want to go, but after those two years, I really appreciated going and experiencing everything. It completely changed me as a player. Mostly it was experience, learning what professional football was like, making decisions, knowing that youre going to get hit, that youre going to make mistakes and you have to bounce back. Youre going to get booed in games, and youre going to be under pressure.This pressure would sometimes lead to errors, something that Sanchez doesnt shy away from and all part of the process.They helped build me into the player I am today, he continues. Like every player, you go through times of struggle.I dont know about other players, but for me, when I go through down times, my goal is always to bounce back even better than I was before, and thats what Ive always done. That was the beginning of it, really.TOPICSChelseaPremier LeagueJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromJoe DonnohueSenior Digital Writer