He made 302 La Liga appearances and scored 13 goals, starting his career with Barcelona and having loans at Xerez and Getafe. He spent 81⁄2 years at Espanyol, for whom he played 270 games in all competitions.[4]
Sánchez made his debut for the first team on 2 January 2008, appearing as a right-back in the 2–2 home draw against CD Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey, at the age of 20.[8] His maiden appearance in La Liga took place on 18 March, at UD Almería (2–2 draw, one minute on the field).[9]
With Guardiola in charge of Barça's main squad, Sánchez took part in their 2008 pre-season.[10] He made a further seven league appearances for the treble champions, but was mainly associated to the B's.
On 12 August 2009, Sánchez was sent to newly promoted Xerez CD on a season-long loan.[11] He scored his first goal for the team on 28 March 2010, in a 3–0 home victory over Real Valladolid.[12] For 2010–11 he was loaned again, joining Madrid's Getafe CF in a season-long move;[13] again, he was put to use in several defensive positions, as the latter narrowly avoided top-flight relegation.[14]
Sánchez and Barcelona mutually agreed to terminate the contract that linked the player to the club in late June 2011. On the 29th, he signed a two-year deal with Swiss Super League's Neuchâtel Xamax FCS.[15]
Espanyol
In the last minutes of the 2012 winter transfer window, Sánchez returned to his country, penning a three-and-a-half-year contract with Barcelona neighbours RCD Espanyol.[16] Signed by Mauricio Pochettino, he played irregularly for the rest of the season before becoming a mainstay in the side.[17] He scored his first goal on 10 February 2013, in a 4–0 away defeat of Athletic Bilbao.[18] On 11 May, he was sent off for a foul on Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuaín in a 1–1 draw that gave the league title to his former club.[19]
Sánchez scored twice in a 3–2 home win over Athletic on 23 September 2013 as the Pericos remained unbeaten in five games.[20] He was sent off twice later in the campaign, as their form dipped.[21][22]
In January 2017, with 18 months remaining of his contract, Sánchez signed a new deal to keep him at the RCDE Stadium until the summer of 2021.[23] On 18 August 2020, following the team's relegation from the top tier, the 33-year-old successfully negotiated a release from his last year.[17]
Sánchez returned to both Spain and his native region on 1 February 2022, joining Girona FC on a six-month contract.[28] After dealing with some injury problems, he made his Segunda División debut aged nearly 35, as a second-half substitute in the 1–0 win at Almería on 27 March.[29][30]
In March 2023, Sánchez announced his retirement.[31]
