"I've always come out a champion." That's Alexis Sánchez at his introductory press conference, 37 years old, 800 career appearances, and not a trace of winding down about him.
The Chilean signed for CF Montréal as the club's blockbuster summer addition, drawn — at least in part — by the galaxy of aging legends now calling MLS home. "I saw all these world-class players coming: Messi, Suárez, Lewandowski," Sánchez said. "And I said, 'Why not come and give myself the opportunity to play with these great, world-class players?'"
It reads like flattery. It's also just accurate. Messi and Suárez delivered Inter Miami an MLS Cup last season. Lewandowski is Gregg Berhalter's centrepiece at Chicago Fire. The league is no longer a retirement home — it's a last competitive frontier for players who still think they can win things. Sánchez fits that bracket.
What Montréal are actually getting
Six league titles with Barça alongside Messi. Two Copa América winners' medals with Chile, both finals against Messi's Argentina. A Premier League career at Arsenal serious enough to make him a household name across two continents. His 168 caps and 51 goals are Chilean national records, full stop.
Most recently he was at Sevilla. He's signed through the 2027 Sprint Season, with an option for 2027-28.
The question isn't whether Sánchez was a world-class footballer. It's whether there's enough left to matter in the Eastern Conference right now. Montréal sit 14th in the East on 17 points — seven points off a Wild Card place. They've scored just 25 goals all season, second fewest in the conference. Luca Saputo, the club's senior director of recruitment, didn't dress it up: "Offensively, we've struggled a bit this year. We've been in games where we're missing that final little end product."
That's the job. Not the legacy. Not the brand. Goals, assists, and enough creativity to drag a misfiring attack into relevance before the playoff window closes.
Debut watch: Columbus on Wednesday
Sánchez only trained with the squad for the first time on Monday and admits he's not fully match fit. A potential debut against Columbus Crew on Wednesday (7:30 pm ET, Apple TV) is on the table, though how many minutes he could actually contribute is uncertain.
He insists he "has the body of a 25-year-old" and claims he outran his younger teammates in his first session. "They asked me: 'What's your deal? Why are you doing so well?'" His answer: meticulous physical preparation. "I demand a lot from myself because I compete."
Take that with whatever salt you prefer. But Montréal's playoff odds — currently long given that seven-point gap — will shift meaningfully if he finds form quickly. A striker who can manufacture chances from nothing is exactly the difference between a side that finishes 14th and one that sneaks into the postseason bracket. Right now, that's the only math that counts.
"Soccer isn't just running. You have to think, understand the moments," Sánchez said. "And I keep playing soccer because it's easy for me."
Montréal are desperately hoping he's right.
