Alexis Sanchez Joins CF Montreal to Revive MLS Season

Alexis Sanchez is heading to North America. CF Montreal have confirmed the signing of the former Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter, Marseille and Sevilla forward as a designated player, betting big that a 37‑year‑old serial winner can jolt a faltering season back to life.

The Chilean great has signed an initial deal that runs until next May, covering the rest of the current MLS campaign and the sprint season slated for the first half of 2027. Montreal also hold a one-year option for the 2027-28 season, giving the Canadian club control over the final stretch of what has been a long European career.

This is not a quiet final chapter. Sanchez arrives as Chile’s all-time leading scorer, with 51 goals in 168 international appearances, and he made it clear he is treating Montreal as a genuine new stage, not a farewell tour.

“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,” he told club media, before underlining the intent behind the move. “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.”

Those words land in a dressing room badly in need of a spark. Montreal sit 14th in the Eastern Conference, with just 16 points from 18 matches under interim manager Philippe Eullaffroy. The form line is bleak: seven league games without a win and one of the least threatening attacks in MLS.

So the club have gone for star power.

Club chief Luca Saputo did not hide the scale of the move or the expectations attached to it.

“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,” he said. “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.”

That is the bet: that the same competitive fire which drove him through title fights in Spain, England and Italy can now drag Montreal out of the Eastern Conference basement.

The timing is no accident. With the season drifting, Montreal needed a jolt, something to change the mood in the stands and in training. Sanchez brings goals, of course, but just as crucially he brings presence — a figure younger teammates have grown up watching in Champions League nights and Copa America finals.

His impact will be judged quickly. Montreal hope to have him ready as soon as this weekend, when they travel to face D.C. United in a key Eastern Conference clash. If he features, every touch will be scrutinised, every run measured against the weight of his résumé and the urgency of Montreal’s situation.

The task in front of him is clear and unforgiving: revive one of the lowest-scoring forward lines in the league and drag a listing season back on course. At 37, in a new country and a new league, can Alexis Sanchez still bend games to his will? Montreal are staking their project on the answer.