Chile legend, Elias Figueroa, has revealed doubts over Alexis Sanchez being appointed captain of his country during their match against Bolivia.

Figueroa, who is known as Chile’s best player of all time and is held in extremely high regard, was selected to be captain on numerous occasions while he was playing (1966-1982), so you would expect that he knows quite a bit about what it takes.

Speaking recently, the ex-footballer revealed what he thought about Alexis being named as captain.

“A captain must be a man who has ascendancy over the rest of his rival and the respect of the referees,” the legend said to Radio Cooperativa.

“I do not know if Alexis meets all these conditions.

“For quality and game, Alexis is one of the figures of Chile, but it is harder for a striker or goalkeeper to captain. The ideal is to be a defender or midfielder,

“Alexis is a great player, but I do not know if have those characteristics; maybe not, but it is a great, great player.”

Figueroa is right to have doubts. This isn’t a position the forward has been in before and although he is a ‘great, great player’, being a captain is something else entirely. It is also unusual for a player in such an advanced role to captain a side. Of course, the 27-year-old claims to be more motivated than ever and that’s all he can be heading into an international match.

Hopefully, Alexis proves Figeuroa’s doubts are unfounded and he can lead his side to victory. Although it’s still unclear whether the forward’s appointment is due to Gary Medel’s suspension, Claudio Bravo’s absence from the squad or a permanent decision, it’ll still be interesting to see how he fares in charge.