A Chile legend is headed to MLS.
CF Montreal has signed Alexis Sanchez, who helped push La Roja to the 2015 Copa América and 2016 Copa América Centenario crowns and also won La Liga with FC Barcelona.
Now 37, Sanchez will occupy a designated player spot, the roster slots that allow MLS teams to pay players without the salary charge fully counting against the cap. CF Montreal previously had no players that occupied the slots on the roster. Teams are allowed three DPs.
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“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.”
After his time with Barca, Sanchez suited up for six clubs in Europe, making stops at Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Marseille, Udinese and, last season, Sevilla, where he scored four goals in 30 matches.
Sanchez’s deal with Montreal includes the rest of the 2026 campaign and the 2027 sprint season with a club option to keep him in Canada through the 2027-28 campaign, the first season in which MLS’s calendar will run from summer through spring.
“The arrival of Alexis Sánchez represents an important step in our sporting project,” said Luca Saputo, CF Montreal’s Senior Director, Recruitment and Sporting Methodology, in the news release. “Alexis possesses exceptional technical quality and experience at the highest level of world football.
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“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 currently sits 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference with four wins, 10 defeats and four draws through 18 matches. The team is still alive in the Canadian Championship, a cup competition that sends its winner to the Concacaf Champions Cup, facing the Vancouver Whitecaps in the two-legged semifinals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CF Montreal announces signing of Chilean soccer legend Alexis Sanchez
