Alexis says he does not ever like to rest - because he was “born to be a footballer”.
The Chile international has been a huge success since his arrival from Barcelona in July 2014, scoring 25 goals in his debut season at the club.
Alexis has struggled for form and fitness at times this term, but says his love for the game means he is constantly striving to improve.
“I always want to play and to win because football's my passion, it's my life,” he said. “That's why every time we win, I'm really happy. I can't be happy with drawing or losing a match. It actually makes me really sad when that happens.
“I also like to see my team-mates' happy faces when we win because I know that they're going to go out the next day and celebrate that win with their families.
“The manager sometimes says to me, 'Have a rest' but I don't want to rest. I'd rather go home and do a bit of gym and exercise in my house to maintain my form.
“I think [my passion] started in Tocopilla because I always used to play with older people. I always wanted to be a footballer, I always wanted to play.
“I was born to be a footballer and, God willing, I will be able to continue doing that. As you know, I'm passionate about football. I like to win.
“Since I was a child I've always been annoyed if I didn't win. If I lost a match I would be annoyed and then I would just want to train so that I could win the next day.”
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
