Sanchís appeared in more than 700 competitive matches for his only club, and represented the national team in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Club career
A product of Real Madrid's prolific youth system, Madrid-born Sanchís made his debut with the first team on 4 December 1983, scoring the only goal at Real Murcia and finishing his debut campaign with a further 17 appearances (and two goals) for the main squad.[4]
Sanchís only appeared in less than 30 matches in two of the following 15 seasons, and was instrumental in the team's several conquests, including six La Liga championships, two UEFA Champions Leagues and two UEFA Cups. In 1999–2000 he featured sparingly, but still helped to their eighth European Cup, playing 11 minutes in the final against fellow Spanish side Valencia CF in a 3–0 win.[4][5][6]
Sanchís retired in 2001 at the age of 36, having played 710 official games for his only club – 523 of those in the league – while also captaining it for 13 years.[7]
As a central defender, Sanchís stood out for his defensive composure, placement and agility. He set a new standard within his club due to both his sporting and human skills.[10] An aggressive yet fair player,[11] he was also noted for his tactical intelligence and positional sense, and usually played as a sweeper.[12]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13][14][15]