Seemingly out of the blue, former Arsenal star Alexis Sánchez has made the move to Major League Soccer, joining CF Montréal.
The 37-year-old Chilean international, who has played for the likes of the Gunners, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Inter Milan, has put pen to paper on a deal through the 2027 Sprint Season. Sánchez’s deal includes the option to extend his stay in Canada through the 2027/2028 season - the first-ever summer-through-spring season in MLS history.
Sánchez joins via free agency, having most recently played in La Liga for Sevilla for the 2025/2026 season. This followed five seasons in Serie A with Inter and Udinese, along with one year in France’s Ligue 1 representing Marseille.
“I am very happy to join CF Montréal and take on this new challenge,” Sánchez said. “I’m grateful to the Club for the confidence they’ve shown in me and 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.”
Speaking on behalf of Montréal, the club’s Senior Director, Recruitment and Sporting Methodology, Luca Saputo, said, “The arrival of Alexis Sánchez 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.”
Chile’s all-time leader in appearances (168) and goals scored (51), Sánchez’s professional career began back in his home nation with Cobreloa, where he played just one year before being snapped up by Udinese. Five years later, in 2011, a move to Camp Nou followed, where he would go on to score 47 goals in 141 appearances in all competitions.
During his time with Barça, Sánchez won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup before sealing a move to the Premier League, where he joined the Gunners.
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Sánchez’s three and a half seasons with Arsenal were perhaps amongst his best, winning two FA Cups and the Community Shield, being named the team’s Player of the Year twice, and to the PFA Team of the Year once. In all, he scored 80 goals in 166 games for the Gunners.
A mid-season switch to United followed in early 2018, a move which ultimately backfired, with Sánchez never finding his footing at a club which was suffering a serious post-Sir Alex Ferguson era identity crisis. Just a season and a half later, the Chilean was loaned to Inter, joining permanently in 2020.
This return to Italy paid off for Sánchez, who wound up winning two Serie A titles with the San Siro side, along with the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana (twice).
Now enjoying the back nine of his career, Sánchez scored four goals in 30 appearances for Sevilla last season.
This new chapter in his career sees him join a Montréal side 14th in the Eastern Conference, led by interim boss Philippe Eullaffroy as of mid-April, which has drawn and lost twice in the league since returning from the FIFA World Cup break.
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
