Alexis Sánchez Joins CF Montreal as Key Player
Alexis Sánchez is heading to Major League Soccer, and he is not coming quietly.
The former Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter, Marseille and Sevilla forward has signed as a designated player with CF Montreal, tying the 37-year-old to the Canadian club until next May. The deal covers the rest of the current MLS campaign and the sprint season scheduled for the first half of 2027, with Montreal holding a one-year option for the 2027-28 season after his stint in Spain.
This is not a farewell tour. Not if you listen to him.
Chile’s all-time leading scorer, with 51 goals in 168 caps, embraced the move as a fresh chapter rather than a soft landing. Speaking to the club’s media, Sánchez underlined his intent and his appetite for the fight.
“I am very happy to join CF Montreal and take on this new challenge. I'm grateful to the club for the confidence they've shown in me.
“I'm eager to put my experience to work so that we can reach our objectives and create memorable moments for our supporters. I'm here to give everything I have for the club and for this city.”
A star walks into a storm
Montreal need every ounce of that promise.
Under interim manager Philippe Eullaffroy, they sit 14th in the Eastern Conference, with just 16 points from 18 matches. The attack has been blunt, one of the lowest-scoring in MLS, and the team is mired in a seven-game winless run in domestic play.
This is the backdrop Sánchez walks into: a club searching for identity, goals and momentum.
For Montreal’s hierarchy, his arrival is not just about shirt sales or nostalgia. It is a statement that they intend to drag the project forward with a player who has lived at the sharp end of elite football for more than a decade.
Club chief Luca Saputo did not hold back in his assessment of what Sánchez represents.
“The arrival of Alexis Sanchez represents an important step in our sporting project. Alexis possesses exceptional technical quality and experience at the highest level of world football.
“His personality, leadership and competitive mindset fully align with our club's identity and ambitions. We are of firm belief that he will have an immediate impact both on the field and in the locker room.”
The message is clear: this is the new reference point in the dressing room.
Immediate expectations
Montreal are not easing him in. His debut could come as soon as this weekend, away to Eastern Conference rivals D.C. United. If he features, he will be thrown straight into a team desperate for a spark, asked to lead a frontline that has struggled to trouble defenses all season.
The club is banking on his movement between the lines, his ability to unlock tight games, and his habit of rising to big occasions. At 37, he is no longer the whirlwind winger who terrorised full-backs in Europe, but the expectation is that his experience and decision-making will raise the level of those around him.
The stakes are obvious. Montreal need a jolt, a new voice, a player who has seen almost everything the game can throw at him.
Now they have Alexis Sánchez. The question is not whether he still has something left. It is how quickly he can drag this team with him.
