Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez has revealed that he used to play football in a local jail as a kid and that his hunger and passion for the game meant he would go anywhere to play the game even if it means playing in the local jail in Chile.

The 28-year-old who grew up in the South American city of Tocopilla is known for his passion and never say die attitude on the pitch. He is regularly seen expressing his frustration whenever either club Arsenal or country Chile concede a goal or lose the game.

I wanted to be a professional footballer from when I was small. My mental approach was always to win and to go as far as possible playing football. I was always playing in tournaments and initially I played in goal. I was happy as long as I was playing football. I played with older people all the time – many of whom I really liked”, Sanchez said to Arsenal’s official’s website.

“[I played] in the street, but we also used to go to the local jail to play. We played with the people there on a dirt pitch, and I played in goal”, the Chilean added.

Sanchez is arguably one of the greatest players in Chile’s history scoring 36 goals in 106 appearances, winning the Copa America twice for his country. He is also considered to be one of the best players at club level, having played for River Plate, Udinese and Barcelona in the past.