Alexis Sánchez is leaving Europe after 18 straight seasons and will join Montreal on a two-year contract, a move that closes one of the longest runs of any Chilean forward on the continent. The 37-year-old is expected to become a new teammate of Thomas Gillier in Quebec, Canada, as Montreal adds a high-profile name to its MLS project.
That is why the move is landing now: Sánchez has spent weeks weighing sporting and personal options, and the choice ends with Montreal rather than one more year in Spain. Sevilla had offered him a fresh contract after avoiding relegation, but he rejected it and did not renew, preferring to step away from Europe on his own terms.
The numbers underline the scale of what is ending. Sánchez spent 18 consecutive seasons in Europe, won 16 titles across that stretch and built his career through Udinese, Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter de Milán and Sevilla. He left Chile in 2006 when he signed for Udinese, spent time on loan at Colo Colo and River Plate, returned to Italy in 2008 and later reached Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, before finishing with Sevilla.
Montreal is not a random stop. Founded in 2010 and competing in the Eastern Conference of MLS, the club has been building a roster with Chilean links, from Thomas Gillier’s arrival on loan from Bologna in mid-2025 to earlier moves such as Jeisson Vargas from Universidad Católica and Gennadiy Synchuk from Metalist. Sánchez now becomes the latest and most established name in that line.
The friction in the story is simple: Sevilla offered continuity, and Sánchez chose a break with Europe instead. At 37, he is not moving to extend a career by habit. He is moving because Montreal gives him a new stage after 18 seasons, and because the unanswered question now is not whether he will play there, but how quickly Montreal will turn a two-season signing into a debut that matters.
