Could the love and loyalty of Alexis Sanchez’s dogs inspire him to stay at Arsenal?

Alexis Sanchez and his dogs Humber and AtomImage source, YouTube - Master Dog Chile
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Alexis Sanchez and his dogs Humber and Atom

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Ask any Arsenal fan, and they’ll tell you that one of their biggest worries at the moment is the impending end of Alexis Sanchez’s contract. Ah, Alexis, beautiful Alexis. A supremely gifted, hard-working footballer. He makes everyone around him better.

But, as the old saying goes, behind every man, is a great pair of dogs. Atom and Humber. Alexis’s guiding lights. He thanked them after his man of the match performance against Bournemouth earlier in the season. Fans have even erected a permanent banner at the Emirates in tribute...

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Here are eight times Sanchez’s love for his dogs reached peak relationship goals.

1. The time they had this Disney movie night…

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Alexis Sanchez enjoys dressing Atom and Humber up. Mostly hats, sure, but sometimes there are t-shirts, or the Chilean flag. Here they are, casually enjoying Disney classic Frozen, while wearing Minnie Mouse ears. Note how Humber is bang up for this, while Atom seems non-plussed. More of a Goofy fan, one assumes.

2. The time they had this beautiful reunion…

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Oh God, my heart. I can’t take this. See how now Humber is keeping it together, while Atom is clearly absolutely made up to be back in Alexis’s firm embrace, tongue lolling away.

One does wonder who’s taken this photo. Does Alexis have a dedicated social media team for candid shots of him, A & H? If so, I want that job. How do I get that job? This article will henceforth act as my CV for that job.

3. They called it puppy love…

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There are eight Atoms and Humbers in this photo collage, and also they’re puppies, meaning it is roughly 200% more heartwarming than the usual posts.

Do you know what the best of this collage is? Not top left, Alexis clutching Atom and Humber under his arms like two bags of flour. Nor top right, Alexis striking a David Brent pose while Atom is clearly distracted by something out of shot. No, it’s bottom right, the dogs sharing from the same bowl, Alexis looking down - calm, focused, proud. From that point, his life was never to be the same again, forever enriched.

4. “Don’t wanna miss a thing…”

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It is essential you unmute this. I don’t care if you’re in a public place. Turn it up loud, lest you miss out on things like this: Aerosmith’s I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing soundtracking Alexis just chilling out at the end of the day with the dogs.

Other songs that Alexis and his dogs enjoy together: You’re Beautiful (James Blunt), My Heart Will Go On (Celine Dion), various Spanish songs and, inexplicably, Hotel California by The Eagles.

5. “You can always trust them…”

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Sanchez says, in the comments, “You can always trust them, they are with you in the good and bad moments, they know when r [sic] happy or sad…”. And you know, there are sad times for Alexis, usually when he gets subbed and throws a strop, but seeing this assures me that by the next day, he’s back to his old self.

And again, unmute this.

6. You’re my ‘mane’ men…

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I like to imagine that when Alexis saw this picture, he quietly whispered to himself, a single tear rolling down his cheek, Atom & Humber as ever by his side: “It me. It us.”

7. Paw relations…

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You know that Instagram account that’s just a dude taking pictures of his girlfriend’s hand, and she’s leading him through different cities? Ok, so this is like that but actually moving, not a cynical attempt to manipulate you into believing true love still exists. Want to believe true love actually exists? This picture. Hand and paw, adjoined, entwined, five separate heart emojis.

8. That time he engraved them on his boots…

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So they'll always be at his heels...