HE has only been in town for two days and already Matias Sanchez is flirting with the enemy.
But the Melbourne Victory recruit knows that come derby day, fellow Argentine Fernando Brandan will be just another Melbourne City obstacle in his way.
Sanchez, 29, was unveiled as Victory’s latest signing on a one-year deal on Wednesday afternoon.
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The defensive midfielder comes with some pedigree too, having won the 2007 under-20 World Cup in Canada in a team featuring Manchester City gun Sergio Aguero and Paris Saint Germain star Angel Di Maria among others.
Sanchez arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday morning.
He’ll be joined in town by his wife, six-year-old daughter and three-year-old son in the coming weeks.
Melbourne Victory recruit Matias Sanchez checks out AAMI Park. Picture: Jay TownSource:News Corp Australia
Sanchez’s last club was Atletico Temperley in Argentina’s top flight, where he played 34 games since joining last year.
It was there where he met Brandan, the two playing together in Sanchez’s first six months at the club before Brandan made the move to City prior to the 2016-17 A-League season.
Sanchez said Brandan has already been a great help to him.
But while it is nice to already know some friendly faces – his sister-in-law has also lived here for the best part of a year – it will be all business when Victory and City clash.
“He is a good guy,” Sanchez told the Herald Sun.
“I spoke with him, he told me about the city and the club and he said if I come here it would be a great place to live.
Matias Sanchez was a part of Argentina’s under-20 World Cup-winning team. Picture: Jay TownSource:News Corp Australia
“Yesterday and this morning he sent me messages saying ‘where are you?’ ‘how are you going?’ He wants to help me.
“But on the field, we fight. That’s OK, no problem. Obviously when we are on the field we have no friends. We want to win.”
Sanchez played 90 minutes in the 2-1 under-20 World Cup final win against the Czech Republic in 2007 in a team also featuring Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero and Seville pair Ever Banega and Gabriel Mercado.
He won a Copa Libertadores and an Argentine title with Estudiantes in a club career that has also taken him to the MLS and Greece.
“(The World Cup) was a very good experience,” Sanchez said.
“It’s too easy to play with these guys. They are very good players. It was a very good group, very confident, and that was one of the secrets of winning that cup.”
Originally published as Victory secure Argentine star
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