Alexis Sanchez has spent the last six years living out of a suitcase.
Since that ill-fated, high-profile move to Old Trafford in January 2018, his career has been a blur of airports and new dressing rooms, the sharp edge that once terrified Premier League defences dulled by constant change. Just 45 appearances for Manchester United, then a loan escape route to Inter. A permanent switch. A productive flash at Marseille. A return to Udinese. Another stint in Milan. A season in Spain with Sevilla.
For a player who once walked into stadiums as one of the game’s elite, the numbers have not been kind. Aside from that 18-goal burst in France, end product has been scarce for the 37-year-old. The aura never fully vanished, but the end zone felt further and further away.
Now the story shifts again, this time to Canada, and to a league that has made a habit of reviving big names. Montreal is the latest stop on a remarkable footballing journey, and there are people who know the city well who believe this might be the place where the spark finally returns.
Sagna’s verdict: cold, quality and a fresh start
Bacary Sagna knows both Alexis and Montreal. He shared a dressing room with Sanchez at Arsenal and later uprooted his own career to MLS, joining Montreal in 2018 after spells with Manchester City and Benevento. He stayed for a season and a half and left with genuine affection for the club and the city.
So when Sagna talks about what awaits Sanchez in Quebec, he does it with a smile – and a warning.
“He will need to adapt to the cold first! Trust me, it's cold,” Sagna told GOAL, speaking on behalf of BetVictor Online Casino. The joke lands, but the respect is immediate. “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 last line matters. Even after years of bouncing between clubs, Sanchez still carries a level. You can see it in the way team-mates react in training, in the first touch, in the tempo he imposes. Sagna is convinced the key now is not reinvention, but rediscovery.
“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,” Sagna said. “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.”
That is the bet Montreal are making: that beneath the miles and the years, the old Alexis is still there, waiting for the right stage and the right mood.
Montreal, not Miami: a different kind of lure
The modern MLS pitch to global stars often comes packaged in neon – the beaches of Miami, the skyline of New York, the celebrity pull of Los Angeles. Montreal sells something else.
Sagna felt it immediately.
“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 mix is part of the club’s identity. A city where French and English sit side by side, with a sizeable Spanish-speaking community layered on top, offers a softer landing for South American and European imports than many expect. You can walk down the street and hear a familiar language. You can feel a familiar rhythm.
Sagna even found charm in the harshest months. “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.”
He calls Montreal “amongst the best places to live” and notes that the city has been ranked in the top five worldwide at times. “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 37-year-old who has spent years chasing form and fitness across Europe, that kind of grounding might be exactly what he needs.
Two years to leave a mark
Montreal have given Sanchez time, not just a headline. The Chilean signed a two-year contract when he joined in August 2026, a clear signal that this is not meant to be a quick photo opportunity before the next flight out.
Two seasons to settle into the league’s rhythm. Two seasons to adapt to the climate, the travel, the surfaces. Two seasons to see whether the player who once shredded defences for Arsenal can still tilt games on his own.
The template is there. Lionel Messi has turned MLS into his personal playground at Inter Miami, redefining what a late-career move to North America can look like. Sanchez has had a front-row view of that standard. He watched the Argentine, still relentless at 39, score four of Miami’s seven goals in a crushing win over Canadian opposition at Nu Stadium.
That kind of performance hangs in the air for every veteran who arrives in the league. It sets a bar. It also offers a challenge: how much do you have left, and how badly do you want to show it?
For Alexis Sanchez, the answer will come not in another transfer, but in the cold, in Montreal, across two defining years that will decide how his nomadic career is finally remembered.
