Born in the city of Quidbo in western Colombia, Carlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno kicked-off his professional career 3,100 miles away in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, with the Danubio club.

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At 19, he moved to River Plate Montevideo, where he made his senior debut and played 40 times before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to join French club Valenciennes in 2007. Sánchez spent six seasons in Ligue 1, making 185 appearances and scoring ten goals, before making the switch to Spanish club Elche for the 2013/14 season.

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Aston Villa secured the South American’s services in summer 2014 and he would play 48 times in the Premier League over two seasons. On 10 August 2016, after Villa’s relegation, he was loaned to Italian Serie A club Fiorentina for a season, after which the move was made permanent.

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After 18 months in Italy with Fiorentina, Sánchez spent the second half of the 2018/19 season on loan at Espanyol in Spain, who he helped guide to La Liga safety with four wins in their final five matches.

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Internationally, Sánchez has been a regular for Colombia since making his debut against Panama in May 2007. He played alongside future Hammer Pablo Armero and against Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Pablo Zabeleta at his first major tournament, the 2011 Copa America, and featured at the South American championship finals again in 2015 and 2016. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, he was an ever-present as Colombia reached the quarter-finals, and he was in the starting XI as La Tricolor reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by England.

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On 9 August 2018, the experienced 32-year-old, who has 88 caps for his country, joined West Ham United on a two-year contract from Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee. The defensive midfielder made his Hammers debut from the substitute bench on 18 August 2018 against AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium. Having made just six appearances, in September 2018 he injured his knee in an EFL Cup game against Macclesfield Town requiring knee surgery. He returned to the first team in May 2019, in the 3–0 home win against Southampton.

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With his game time limited, on 30 June 2020, Sánchez departed east London after playing 18 times over the course of two seasons. The experienced Colombian international was unfortunate that his early knee injury prevented him making more of an impact for the Club.

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Having not played first-team football since a 1-0 FA Cup defeat to West Bromwich Albion for the Hammers back in January 2020, on 4 March 2021, it was announced that Sánchez had joined EFL side Watford on a short-term deal until the end of the 2020/21 season. The Colombian made 9 appearances for the Hornets and later had spells with Colombian side Santa Fe, and Argentinian sides San Lorenzo and Barracas Central.