Alexis Sanchez's New Challenge in Montreal MLS
Alexis Sanchez has spent the last few years living out of a suitcase. Since that ill-fated move to Old Trafford in January 2018, his career has been a tour of Europe’s major leagues rather than a settled starring role.
Manchester United. Inter. Marseille. Udinese. Back to Inter. Then Sevilla for the 2025-26 season. Flashes of the old Alexis have appeared – most notably that 18-goal burst in France – but, at 37, consistent end product has largely slipped from his grasp.
Now comes a different kind of challenge. Montreal. MLS. The cold, the culture shock, and the chance to feel like a leading man again.
Sagna’s warning: “Trust me, it's cold”
Bacary Sagna knows exactly what awaits him.
The former France international, who finished his own top-level journey in Montreal after spells with Manchester City and Benevento, believes the Canadian club might just be the perfect final act for Alexis – once he gets over the weather.
“He will need to adapt to the cold first! Trust me, it's cold,” Sagna told GOAL, speaking on behalf of BetVictor Online Casino. “But Alexis Sanchez is a top player. I had some feedback already and people were impressed at his first session, they could see the difference of quality, they could see why he is Alexis Sanchez.”
That first impression matters. In a league that increasingly attracts big names, the Chilean still carries a certain aura. Sagna is convinced that if Alexis leans into the challenge rather than the climate, the league will quickly remember why he once sat among the game’s elite.
“I think it's very important for him to just enjoy football again and to show why he's been performing for Arsenal, why he's been in the top 20 best players in the world at some point. MLS will notice this soon because he's a top player and I'm pleased to see him playing for Montreal and hopefully he will have a great impact.”
Montreal, not Miami – and why that matters
MLS stars often gravitate to the glamour coasts. New York. Miami. Los Angeles. The marketing is easy, the lifestyle familiar.
Sagna chose differently in 2018. Montreal gave him one-and-a-half seasons he still talks about with warmth, and he would point any veteran star in the same direction.
“The lifestyle is very good. I think the ecosystem is made for a great family life. It's an amazing country,” he said. “I lived there for three years. It's a well-balanced country, you have the seasons and people live well. I was in Montreal, beautiful city. It's a European aspect with U.S. infrastructure.”
He even sells the winter as a feature, not a flaw.
“Even winter, I mean I love the sun but I enjoyed winter there because I could go walking for two hours on the snow in the park with a hot chocolate and it grounded you. I think not many places are like that today in the world we live in today.”
Montreal’s appeal, for Sagna, goes beyond football. “It’s amongst the best places to live - Montreal was in the top five of the best places to live in the world at some point. It’s fun, the vibe is good, people are happy and it's a nice country. Also, people speak both languages, French and English, and you have a big Spanish community being in North America also.”
For a South American icon nearing the end of his career, that mix of languages, cultures and comfort could prove crucial.
Chasing the Messi effect
Alexis has signed a two-year deal with Montreal, joining in August 2026. It’s a contract that gives him time – time to adapt, time to rediscover rhythm, time to prove he can still tilt games rather than just decorate them.
He doesn’t have to look far for a template.
Lionel Messi, his former Barcelona team-mate, has turned MLS into his own stage, extending his legend in the United States. The Argentine, now 39, recently reminded everyone of his enduring class by scoring four of Inter Miami’s seven goals in a thumping win over Canadian opposition at Nu Stadium.
Alexis watched that up close. He saw what an ageing superstar can still do in this league when the body cooperates and the mind is free.
Montreal are banking on a similar late-career surge. Sanchez, once one of the most feared forwards in Europe, now has a fresh canvas in Canada. The question is no longer where he goes next.
It’s whether, in Montreal’s cold and colour, he can finally catch fire again.
