Alexis Sanchez's New Chapter in Montreal: Aiming to Rediscover His Spark

Alexis Sanchez has spent the last few years living out of a suitcase. Manchester, Milan, Marseille, Udine, Seville. Now, at 37, his road leads somewhere very different: Montreal, and a shot at rediscovering a fading spark in MLS.

His career since that ill-fated move to Old Trafford in January 2018 has felt like a long comedown. Just 45 appearances for Manchester United before he was shipped to Inter, first on loan, then permanently. A sharp, 18-goal burst at Marseille hinted at the old Alexis, but that proved the exception. A return to Udinese, another spell with Inter, then a season in Spain with Sevilla in 2025-26 – the miles kept piling up, the end product less so.

Now comes a two-year contract with Montreal, signed in August 2026, and a different kind of challenge: not just to score and assist, but to enjoy football again.

Bacary Sagna believes he will. And he speaks from experience.

“Trust me, it's cold”

Sagna, who joined Montreal in 2018 after stints with Manchester City and Benevento, knows exactly what awaits Sanchez in Quebec – starting with the weather.

“He will need to adapt to the cold first! Trust me, it's cold,” the former France international 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. At 37, Sanchez is no longer the whirlwind who terrorised Premier League defences for Arsenal, but Sagna is adamant the class is still there.

“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.”

This is the bet Montreal are making: that in the right environment, with time to settle, the veteran can still bend games to his will.

Montreal, not Miami – and why that matters

The MLS dream for many stars tends to come with a postcard: New York’s skyline, Miami’s beaches, Los Angeles’ glamour. Montreal is different. Less obvious, more understated. Sagna insists that’s exactly its strength.

“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.”

That blend – European feel, North American facilities – is part of the pitch to someone like Sanchez, who has spent his career in football’s traditional powerhouses. The winter, Sagna says, is not a punishment but a reset.

“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.”

For a player who has been on the move for the best part of a decade, the idea of being “grounded” might be as important as any tactical role.

“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 Chilean icon used to bouncing between languages and cultures, that mix should help. The club’s two-year deal gives him something he has not really had since leaving Arsenal: a bit of time.

Chasing Messi’s shadow in North America

Any attacking superstar arriving in MLS now walks into the same comparison. Lionel Messi has changed the scale of what is possible in this league.

Sanchez has just had a front-row seat to that reality. The Argentine, still ruthless at 39, hit four of Inter Miami’s seven goals in a demolition of Canadian opposition at Nu Stadium. A reminder, in neon lights, of what an ageing great can still do if the body holds and the environment fits.

Sanchez is not Messi. Nobody is. But the template is there: adapt, buy into the project, let the quality speak. Montreal are not asking him to be a billboard. They are asking him to be decisive.

MLS, as Sagna points out, should welcome that.

“MLS will notice this soon because he's a top player,” he said, confident that the league will quickly see the difference in level.

The nomad has a new home now, in a city Sagna calls one of the best places to live on the planet. The question is no longer where Alexis Sanchez will go next. It’s whether Montreal is where he finally stops wandering and starts dictating games again.