Shoot! would like to wish Chile international and Arsenal ace Alexis Sanchez many happy returns as the forward celebrates his 28th birthday today!

The birthday boy, who has 106 international caps for his country and helped Chile retain their Copa América crown earlier this year, has scored an impressive 14 goals and provided 12 assists in 23 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners so far this season.

The 28-year-old, who arrived at the Emirates Stadium from La Liga giants FC Barcelona back in July 2014 following his reported £31.7m switch, has fired Arsene Wenger’s side into the top four of the Premier League this term, despite Arsenal losing back-to-back league games recently.

Sanchez, who has also starred for Serie A outfit Udinese prior to his illustrious move to the Nou Camp, has netted 56 times in 116 appearances for the Gunners overall.

However, recent speculation has suggested the Chilean wants a pay rise if the club wish to tie him down to a new deal, despite Sanchez already earning around £130,000-a-week.

Nevertheless; to celebrate Sanchez’s 28th birthday, Shoot! have dug up 10 facts you may not know about the Arsenal ace…

Poverty-stricken childhood

Despite now pushing for a wage packet beyond the £200,000-a-week barrier, it wasn’t always such a luxurious lifestyle for the forward.

Sanchez grew up in a mining town called Tocopilla in Chile; where he would help bring in income for his family by boxing other kids in the street, washing cars and perform stunts for neighbours from the age of six.

“The Squirrel”

During his childhood in Tocopilla, Sanchez also earned the nickname, “The Squirrel”.

This was due to the fact that the future winger would dash up trees to recover footballs and just his extraordinarily high energy levels during games.

Eight-goal haul

Whilst on the books of Club Arauco’s youth team, Sanchez showcased his world-class ability, despite being late for kick-off!

On his arrival, his team-mates were already 1-0 down.

But Sanchez’s introduction soon turned the game on its side in dramatic fashion, as the Chilean scored a sensational eight goals to seal a remarkable comeback victory.

Phenomenal Pianist

As well as being one of the Premier League’s finest footballers, Sanchez is also a fine musician.

Judging by this Instagram post, the Arsenal star is a whizz at the piano, performing an impressive rendition of John Legend’s “All of Me”.

La segunda parte del video ..☺️..All of me☺️…. The Second Part of the video All of me.

A video posted by Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) on Mar 25, 2015 at 12:01pm PDT

Sánchez Sánchez

The Arsenal forward is so good, his parents named him twice!

His full name is actually, Alexis Alejandro Sánchez Sánchez.

You Gunners fans best go get your replica shirts re-printed!

Teenage talent

Sanchez made his international debut for Chile against New Zealand back in April 2006 – in turn, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature for his country.

At the age of 17, the forward replaced Juan Gonzalo Lorca for the final 32 minutes in Chile’s 1-0 victory.

Rejected Manchester City

That is right! The now Arsenal star turned down a transfer to Premier League rivals Manchester City back in the summer of 2011.

Having agreed a £30m fee for the Chile sensation, Udinese booked a plane for the winger to fly to England to put pen to paper on a deal with the Citizens, only to refuse to board the flight.

Instead, Sanchez held out for a move to FC Barcelona.

Just another reason why Arsenal supporters adore Alexis!

Chile Christmas

Already renowned as a legend in his homeland, in particularly his home village, Sanchez has continually given back to Tocopilla in appreciation of his upbringing.

The Arsenal star was known to return home and dress as Santa Claus to hand out gifts to the village’s children.

Thank you Mayor!

Having grown up washing cars, performing somersaults and boxing other children for a little extra money for his household, it wasn’t until the age of 14 that Sanchez got his hands on his first pair of football boots.

They were handed to him by the Mayor of Tocopilla at around the age of 14, and the rest, they say, is history…

An Arsenal first

And finally, Sanchez is Arsenal’s first-ever Chilean player.

The forward is fourth on the Gunners’ list of most expensive buys, only behind club-record acquisition Mesut Ozil, plus 2016 summer signings Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka.