Tottenham defender Davinson Sanchez has opened up on his difficult route to becoming a professional footballer.
The 24-year-old has been a regular at Spurs since his 2017 move from Ajax in a deal worth up to £42 million, but it hasn't always been such a comfortable life for him.
Growing up in Colombia, Sanchez didn't have easy access to football, having to travel some way to take part in training on buses which were particularly costly for his family.
“I started playing football when I was about six and it was sometimes hard to take the bus," said Sanchez in an interview with The Sun.
“My father used to take me to training and it was not always easy because he also had to bring food to the table. I would train every day after school from 3.30pm until 5.30pm and then I had to take three buses to get home, which would take at least two hours.
“Sometimes I would not get home until 8pm or 9pm — and then I would have to do my school homework. Many times I would fall asleep at the table.
“When I started going to training my father used to take me. But that meant we had to buy two bus tickets and it was not easy for us, you know.
“The tickets only cost £2 each but we had to get two or three buses.
“I knew it was costing the family too much money so one day when I was about 10 or 11 I said to him, ‘Look, this is taking away my nest egg! I know the roads and where the buses stop so I am old enough now to travel on my own’.”
Asked if it was dangerous taking the bus on his own, Sanchez replied: “At the time I didn’t think so because I was young — but I wouldn’t do it now.”
Sanchez grew up in a small Colombian town named Caloto, an area which he said presents plenty of challenges to children growing up.
“I saw a lot of bad things like drugs and people stealing things," he added.
“I know friends who took what I call the easy way and some of them are now dead, or in jail, because they were involved in bad things.
“But I also have a lot of friends from school who took the right way and they are working in good jobs and are good fathers, brothers and sons.
“It is up to you which path you choose. But taking the easy way was never an option for me.”
Things are a lot more comfortable for Sanchez, now an established Premier League player and a Spurs regular under Jose Mourinho at the age of 24.
But he certainly hasn't forgotten his roots, setting up a foundation in his hometown of Caloto which coaches, educates and feeds 600 underprivileged children and their families.
