CF Montréal

15 Facts About Alexis Sánchez: The Inside Story of CF Montréal’s Blockbuster Move
Maxime Truman
15 Facts About Alexis Sánchez: The Inside Story of CF Montréal’s Blockbuster Move
Credit: Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

I've always said (and written) this: for your criticism to be taken seriously and be justified in this field, you also have to know how to acknowledge the positive.

In short, be positive when it's positive and negative when it's negative. That's how you build credibility. Otherwise, you're just a mouthpiece… or a hater.

Over the past few weeks, I've “celebrated” the anniversary of CF Montréal's famous letter, I've criticized a few recent performances where the offense was lacking, and I've pointed out the urgent need for action due to the team's excessively thin roster, especially up front.

Except that I'm not a hater. I'm a guy who analyzes—yes, sometimes emotionally—and then makes up his mind.

And since yesterday, I've had a huge smile on my face.

First, CF Montréal pulled off a masterstroke with its teaser video on social media. Any college professor would have given it a perfect score, both for the content and the presentation.

Second, being able to convince none other than Alexis Sánchez to join your club is a grand slam. Even though he's 37 and will be 38 when the sprint season kicks off.

Montreal fans have been clamoring for a star player ever since Didier Drogba left. With Olivier Renard, Gabriel Gervais, Luca Saputo, Marco Donadel, Laurent Courtois, and Philippe Eullaffroy all stating that attracting a star to Montreal wasn't part of the club's business plan, many of those same fans had stopped believing it would ever happen.

So reading that Alexis Sánchez had signed with CF Montréal came as a huge surprise yesterday. And a pleasant one at that!

We're talking about one of the league's top 10 stars… maybe even one of the top five! That's no small feat.

What do I take away from this major coup for Montreal?

1.
Alexis Sánchez is joining the club to finish out the current season and play in the sprint
season. As I understand it, CF Montréal holds an option for the first winter season (2027–28). If things go well, Sánchez could very well extend his Montreal adventure beyond the sprint season. We'll see.

2. Sanchez has spent the last 18 years in Europe, playing for legendary clubs: Inter Milan, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Marseille, Sevilla FC, and more. He was still playing for the Chilean national team as recently as 2025.

Rumors had him headed to Turkey, Italy, or Chile. Seeing him land in Montreal took the soccer world by surprise.

3. Sánchez will earn an annual salary of several million dollars, but he won't have cost anything in transfer fees. Don't take seriously anyone who claims Sánchez shouldn't have been a Designated Player; a guy like him is worth the investment. And a guy who earns several million dollars is, by definition, a DP in MLS.

4. He's expected in Montreal later this week. I'm already scouring the internet to find his flight number.

5. Let's stop harping on Sanchez's age. If he were still 26, he wouldn't be coming to MLS.

Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Hugo Lloris, Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Thomas Müller, and Antoine Griezmann are all roughly the same age as Sanchez, and they're performing well in MLS.

Having Alexis Sanchez in Montreal will bring much-needed quality up front, while also drawing fans to the stadium and providing a dose of leadership—and character—to mentor the young players at CF Montreal. Everyone stands to gain from this.

We can only applaud this guy's arrival in Montreal.

(Credit: Getty Images)

6.
It's a safe bet that CF Montréal has done its due diligence on the health and medical front
. Sánchez isn't a Matias Coccaro; he's obsessed with his physical condition. He also recently became a dad; you won't find him at Santos.

7. Using a DP spot on an offensive player is 10 times better than using it on a defensive midfielder. Especially when you already have Samuel Piette on the roster! #Wanyama

8. We had clearly planned to announce Sanchez's arrival last night at the members' event. Unfortunately, the event was postponed to August 24 due to thunderstorms.

9. I'm told Alexis Sanchez could see some action before the end of August, even though he hasn't played since May. Fingers crossed.

10. Sanchez helped Sevilla FC avoid relegation. He's still capable of scoring goals and setting up his teammates. He's not done yet, no matter what some people might try to make you believe.

No CF Montréal player would be able to play for Sevilla right now.

11.
The plan is to have him play alongside Prince Owusu, not in his place. Will he be deployed on the left wing with plenty of freedom? Will Philippe Eullaffroy opt for a 4-4-2 system (diamond or flat)? We'll see.

12.
I hope the club will be able to add another quality offensive player by early September. Yes, Wiki Carmona's return will help, but we can't afford to be thin on the roster again if another injury occurs.

13. Public pressure was starting to really mount. Some season-ticket holders weren't renewing their season tickets, and media coverage was less extensive—and often negative. The club needed to make a statement to turn things around.

Furthermore, the presence of FC Supra and Les Roses also puts indirect pressure on CF Montréal.

Monopolies are never good for the customer! Long live healthy competition!

14. Luca Saputo and his team have signed several South American players who are familiar with MLS or have the right mindset to play there: Sanchez, Carmona, Ceballos, Pereira, Vera, Morales, Amaya, Gillier, Rios…

All the better if it works out. We'll see.

15. According to my sources, Joey Saputo was not involved in the signing of Alexis Sanchez. It was Luca and Simone Saputo who handled the deal from start to finish.

Update

I was the first to confirm Alexis Sanchez's arrival in Montreal, and my college buddy Meeker Guerrier thought it would be a good idea to invite me to discuss it last night on 98.5 FM.

I'm happy to see this morning that the interview is at the top of the 985Sports.ca website and that it has therefore been listened to by many people.

Quebec sports fans are proving that, yes, there's room for more than just the Canadiens when big news breaks. It's up to the province's other clubs to figure out how best to fill that space (as CF Montréal did yesterday, for example).