Former Gunner signs for MLS club at 37

CF Montreal have confirmed that they’ve completed the signing of former Gunner Alexis Sanchez as a ‘Designated Player’.

That means he’s one of the club’s three (at most) players whose salaries and transfer costs go past the normal salary cap, with the team owner paying the extra money.

“I am very happy to join CF Montreal and take on this new challenge,” Sanchez told the club website. “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.”

Sanchez spent four years with Arsenal between 2014 and 2018, winning two FA Cups and a Community Shield before a trophyless spell at Manchester United.

The winger has since gone on to play for Inter Milan (twice), Marseille, Udinese, and Sevilla. Now 37 years old, he’s set to continue his career back on the other side of the Atlantic, for the first time since he left Argentinian side River Plate in 2008.

Perhaps it should be no surprise that Sanchez isn’t hanging up his boots just yet, as he’s previously expressed a desire to play in the 2030 World Cup.

“The love of football is what keeps me going,” Sanchez said last year. “Of course [I want to keep playing for Chile], it’s my country.

“As long as I can contribute and am physically fit, I always want to be with the national team.

“I would like to go to another World Cup with Chile; it would be in 2030, at [41] years old. I have to be physically and mentally fit, and professionalism tells you that over time.”

Only four outfield players aged 40 or over have ever competed in the World Cup, but three of them (Edin Dzeko, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric) were this summer. Perhaps Sanchez’s dream is more realistic in today’s game than ever before.