Alexis Sánchez inspired by Messi, Suárez and Lewandowski to join MLS. Now he wants to bring joy to Montreal

Chilean international Alexis Sánchez was introduced as CF Montreal’s newest designated player Tuesday. The 37-year-old attacker joins MLS during a critical moment in the league’s history. After the 2026 World Cup, MLS hopes to attract new fans and media partners.

Additionally, the league will shift to a summer-to-spring calendar starting in July 2027. Sweeping changes to the strict squad-building restrictions are expected to take place, too, in an effort to allow MLS teams to push the envelope when it comes to international recruitment.

Sánchez, though, represents a more traditional MLS signing, one that does little to raise the profile of America’s top flight. After a brief stint with Sevilla last season, in which he scored four goals and added two assists in 28 La Liga appearances, Sánchez joins a Montreal side that sits at the bottom of the table and is winless in its last five matches.

“It’s mainly a footballing decision,” said Luca Saputo, CF Montreal’s managing director of recruitment and sporting methodology. “We have a lot of young players here, including many South American players, who can learn a great deal from a player like Alexis. Whenever we make a decision, the first consideration is always what he can bring on the field. But obviously, with a player of Alexis’ stature, he brings a lot off the field too. So it ended up being a perfect fit.”

News broke last week that Montreal had plucked Sánchez from European football, and not Inter Miami, where Sánchez would have been reunited with Lionel Messi, his former Barcelona teammate. Instead of the sun and Latino-influenced culture of South Florida, Sánchez will play in a cold-weather MLS market best known for its hockey heritage.

Still, “El Niño Maravilla” (The Wonder Boy), is eager to show the football world that one’s surroundings shouldn’t temper one’s motivations. Despite a very impressive club career that includes time with Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Marseille, Sánchez is not a byproduct of an avant-garde recruitment strategy by Montreal.

His signing resembles that of James Rodríguez in February. The 35-year-old captain of Colombia joined Minnesota United but only managed to play in six games. Montreal will hope to distance itself from that type of outcome.

President and CEO of CF Montréal Gabriel Gervais presents Alexis Sánchez with his jersey in Montreal. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis / MLS via Getty Images)

“This is something new,” Sánchez said about signing for Montreal. “It’s a club that wants to grow, a city that wants to grow. They told me hockey is very big here too, so I hope football can become the same. That passion, people coming to the stadium, enjoying it with family. And I can bring some joy to the people, too.

Joy is one way to describe Sánchez’s contributions to the sport. He debuted in Chile’s first division as a teenager and regularly performed at a high level in South America’s premier cup competitions. With a boyish smile, an intense way of playing and a knack for scoring highlight-worthy goals, Sánchez became a respected professional and a title-winner in European club football.

“I trust in my ability as a player,” Sánchez said confidently, adding that at Sevilla he could run more than the side’s 22-year-old players. “I was born playing football. I grew up playing football. It’s a talent God gave me, and I find it easy to do. It comes easy for me. Football isn’t just about running, it’s about thinking, understanding the rhythms of the game. And I think I’ll keep playing because it comes easily to me.”

MLS poses a different challenge. It’s a physically demanding league that has humbled its fair share of world-class players. Moreover, MLS teams still lack the type of squad depth that elite players are used to. Sánchez, like many stars before him, must accept his reality while elevating the play of his teammates. Sánchez, at least on Tuesday, said all the right things. He wants to mentor Montreal’s young players, win titles and set a new professional standard at the club.

“I’ll demand more from (the younger players),” Sánchez said. “I want the kids to learn because I know they love football. I think my role in recent years has been to be professional, so the young players can learn from me, showing that the team has heart and grit, and plays good football.”

Sánchez joins other recognizable players who see MLS as more than an over-30 men’s league with nice stadiums. Messi is the league’s unicorn, a greatest-ever level player who has not lowered his standards since arriving three years ago. Even after his playing days are over, Messi’s willingness to come to MLS, while continuing to produce heroics for his country on the international stage, will motivate other big names to do the same.

“I’m very competitive by nature,” said Sánchez. “Sevilla wanted me for one more year, but I made the decision that it was time to end my European chapter and come here to Montreal.

“I saw that all the world-class players were coming here. I was watching Messi, (Luis) Suárez, (Robert) Lewandowski and I said, ‘Why not come and give myself the chance to play here with the best players in the world?’ To compete, which is what I love.”

Sánchez has joined first-team training and appeared to target Saturday’s game against LA Galaxy as an opportunity to connect with the city’s growing population of Chilean expats. The back-to-back Copa América titles that Chile won in 2015 and 2016 established Sánchez as an all-time great for his national team.

When asked Tuesday about the influence he has had on Chilean football, particularly on Chilean children, Sánchez flashed his trademark smile and answered with the superstar charisma that has long defined him.

“I’m very loved back home by the kids, and by the grandmothers, too. I’m very happy about that.”

But can he capture the hearts and minds of Montrealers?