Alexis Sánchez's New Chapter in Montreal: A Chance to Reignite His Career

Alexis Sánchez has spent the last few years living out of a suitcase. Since that ill-fated, high-profile move to Old Trafford in January 2018, his career has felt like a long layover rather than a destination.

He managed only 45 appearances for Manchester United before heading to Inter, first on loan, then more permanently into the Serie A shuffle. A productive spell at Marseille, a return to Udinese, another stint back in Milan, and a season in Spain with Sevilla in 2025-26 have followed. One bright burst – those 18 goals in France – briefly reminded everyone of the Arsenal version of Alexis. Outside of that, the end product has largely dried up for a player who is now 37.

Now comes a different kind of gamble: Montreal, MLS, and the Canadian cold.

Sagna’s verdict: “They could see why he is Alexis Sánchez”

Bacary Sagna knows exactly what awaits him. The former France international, who finished his own career in Montreal after spells with Manchester City and Benevento, believes this move could be the one that finally reconnects Sánchez with his old spark.

Speaking to GOAL on behalf of BetVictor Online Casino, Sagna didn’t bother dressing it up: “He will need to adapt to the cold first! Trust me, it's cold. 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.”

The message is simple. Strip away the noise, the failed moves, the criticism. Let him play.

“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.”

That word – enjoy – is doing a lot of work here. At Arsenal, Alexis played like every game was a final. At United, and too often since, he has looked like a man searching for that feeling again. Montreal offers him time and space to do exactly that.

Montreal, not Miami: the other North American dream

When European stars look across the Atlantic, their eyes are usually drawn to the neon: New York. Miami. Los Angeles. Sagna chose something else. He doesn’t regret it for a second.

“The lifestyle is very good. I think the ecosystem is made for a great family life. It's an amazing country,” he said of his Canadian experience, which stretched to three years in total. His description of Montreal sounds less like a footballer ticking off a city and more like someone who found a home.

“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. 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.”

This is the backdrop for Sánchez’s late-career chapter: a city that feels European, a league still growing, and a fanbase eager for a headline act.

“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 star used to bouncing between cultures, that blend matters. It can turn a stopover into a base.

A two-year window to matter again

Alexis signed a two-year contract with Montreal when he arrived in August 2026. That’s not a farewell tour; it’s a proper window. Time to adjust to the league, the climate, the travel. Time to become a reference point again, not just a name on a team sheet.

The template is obvious. He has just watched his former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi tear MLS apart, the Argentine great still ruthless at 39. Messi scored four of Inter Miami’s seven goals in a demolition of Canadian opposition at Nu Stadium, a brutal reminder of what true elite quality looks like when given room to breathe.

Sánchez is not Messi. Nobody is. But he doesn’t need to be.

What Montreal need is the Arsenal version: relentless, inventive, decisive. The player who pressed like a man possessed and finished like a No. 9. The one Sagna remembers, and still believes is hiding in there somewhere.

The cold will bite. The travel will grind. The league will test his legs. If Alexis Sánchez’s fire survives all that, Montreal won’t just have signed a name. They’ll have landed a force – and MLS will feel it.