CF Montreal have completed the signing of Chilean football icon Alexis Sanchez, marking a significant moment for the MLS club and the league as a whole.
The 37-year-old will occupy a designated player spot, one of three roster slots that allow MLS teams to pay players without the full salary counting against the salary cap.
Prior to Sanchez’s arrival, CF Montreal had no designated players on their roster, making this signing a clear statement of the club’s evolving ambitions.
Sanchez’s deal covers the remainder of the 2026 campaign and the 2027 sprint season, with a club option to retain him through the 2027-28 campaign.
That upcoming 2027-28 season will be the first in which MLS operates on a summer-through-spring calendar, representing a landmark shift for the league.
“I am very happy to join CF Montreal and take on this new challenge,” Sanchez said in a news release. “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.”
Sanchez holds Chile’s all-time records for both goals scored, with 51, and international appearances, with 168 caps for La Roja.
He was a central figure as Chile claimed back-to-back Copa América titles in 2015 and at the 2016 Copa América Centenario, cementing his legacy as one of South America’s greatest players.
Across his club career, Sanchez has accumulated 215 goals, 154 assists, and 20 trophies in 788 appearances, with stops at Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Marseille, Udinese, and Sevilla.
He won La Liga with Barcelona in 2013 and back-to-back Serie A titles with Inter Milan in 2021 and 2024, before scoring four goals for Sevilla last season.
Luca Saputo, CF Montreal’s Senior Director of Recruitment and Sporting Methodology, expressed his excitement about the acquisition in a club statement.
“Alexis possesses exceptional technical quality and experience at the highest level of world football,” Saputo 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.”
Montreal have a history of attracting high-profile veterans, having previously signed Ivorian striker Didier Drogba and Italian defender Alessandro Nesta during the mid-2010s.
At the time of Sanchez’s signing, Montreal sit 14th in the Eastern Conference with 16 points, currently outside the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs positions.
Sanchez’s move continues a wave of global stars arriving in MLS this summer, joining Robert Lewandowski at Chicago Fire, Antoine Griezmann at Orlando City, and Casemiro at Inter Miami.
