Mathieu Choinière should soon get his wish. And under the circumstances, the outcome of this case suits both the player and CF Montreal.
CF Montreal president Gabriel Gervais confirmed Tuesday at a press conference that Mathieu Choinière’s transfer to Europe was being finalized.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Gabriel Gervais
Last week, tipster Fabrizio Romano linked the Quebec midfielder to Grasshopper club Zurich, in the Swiss first division. In Zurich, Choinière would join another former Montrealer: Marco Schällibaum, the Swiss volcano, is at the head of the team there.
A dream
Choinière thus realised his dream of playing on the Old Continent, even if the level of the Swiss championship is not that of the five major leagues.
The first chapters of this story came to light at the end of last April. Informant Tom Bogert revealed that Choinière had asked to be traded from CF Montreal, a rumor that the person concerned has never denied. A real bombshell, given the player’s status within his training club.
Choinière is a product of the club’s Academy, which he joined in 2011. The first to have gone through all the stages of development until signing a professional contract with the senior team in 2018.
In 2023, with 5 goals and 5 assists, he was Hernán Losada’s Swiss army knife. That season ended with the club’s Most Valuable Player award, in addition to being selected to the MLS All-Star Game.
He had become, for all intents and purposes, the image of the Bleu-blanc-noir. His contract extension, signed in 2022, tied him to the club until 2025, under an option year that the CFM could still activate at the end of that year.
His request for a transaction, halfway through this agreement, caused the club’s sports management to explode. Olivier Renard and the CFM divorced a few days later. His assistant Vassili Cremanzidis left the club at the end of May.
What did the Choinière clan want in all this? We can guess that beyond the transaction, he especially wanted to be paid what he brings to the club. According to figures from the MLS players’ association, the Quebecer earns a base salary of around $300,000, to which is certainly added compensation linked to his performances. In return, he must be thinking, guys like Lassi Lappalainen and Mason Toye, who spent their time in the infirmary in recent seasons, earned more than $650,000.
Choinière subsequently earned a nice selection with the Canadian team for the Copa América, even if his minutes there were limited.
But in Montreal, the Choinière situation was slow to resolve. On the field for his club, the quality of his performances clearly declined. As if he were distracted by the procrastination off the field. As if he was putting too much on his shoulders, without managing to carry the load.
As the weeks went by, his departure seemed inevitable. That said, a trade to another MLS club might have gone down very badly with fans. It would have been a sign that Choinière wanted to leave Montreal, regardless of the destination.
With this upcoming transfer to Europe, even for a limited sum, the pill is easier to swallow.