CF Montreal | What has become of the former gifted?

Europe. Nothing makes North American players salivate more than the idea of ​​evolving on the continent where soccer is a religion, even a devotion. So when top MLS products get the chance to make it, it’s only natural to see them go overseas.

At a time when most of the European championships are ending their activities, if it hasn’t already been done, a little overview is essential on the former gifted CF Montreal who crossed the Atlantic.

Ismael Kone

Immediately after the World Cup, the Quebecer joined Watford, in the English second division. Affected by injuries, the beloved club of Elton John slipped in the standings and took several risks in the configuration of its starting lineup.

Often a starter, but almost always replaced, Koné had an impact on his club, but perhaps not as much as he would have liked. The 20-year-old midfielder has shown great progress in his defensive game since arriving in England, but hasn’t been able to fully establish himself.

If, at the Impact, we left him a lot of offensive missions in the second half of the season, with Watford he had to develop his defensive game.

Moreover, this progression was also felt in the national team as Koné became a key player in John Herdman’s midfield. Alongside Stephen Eustaquio, and possibly Jonathan Osorio, the one who grew up in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce becomes a must for the 2026 World Cup.

The 2023-2024 season promises for Koné. His club will remain in the second division, but he will have to deal with a new head coach, Valérien Ismaël. In the event that Koné’s performances continue to gain momentum, the Canadian should remain among the best championships on the Old Continent for quite a while yet.

Alistair Johnston

If there’s one former CFM player who thrived in Europe, it’s Alistair Johnston.

As soon as he arrived at Celtic from Glasgow in January 2023, the club sold its other right-back, Josip Juranović – who had also had a strong World Cup – to a German club. Thus, the Scottish formation left the field open to the Canadian to make its place. The latter did not disappoint expectations.

His usual feistiness and game intelligence made him a favorite of the crowd and his coach.

He played 90 minutes in 18 of his team’s 20 games. The other two games he was rested. Note that the record of Celtic, who won the championship for the umpteenth time, with Johnston in the training is 16 wins, 2 draws and no defeats.

However, Johnston suffered an injury on 30 April against the club’s historic rivals, Glasgow Rangers. No one knows if his season is over, but if the Ontarian continues on this momentum, perhaps his stay in Glasgow will be just a stop to another destination.

Djordje Mihailovic

Olivier Renard’s third and final undergraduate player on this list, Djordje Mihailovic was the first to be sold. The transaction that sent him to AZ Alkmaar, in the Dutch first division, was announced at the end of August 2022. He ended the season with the Bleu-blanc-noir, however, and was particularly decisive in the playoffs, touching the target in both encounters.

Note that the American attacking midfielder arrived in the Netherlands mid-season, when his teammates were at the top of their game. However, he did not fire the formation. The 24-year-old American may only have one goal and one assist to his name, but that’s due to his limited playing time.

Mihailovic takes part in practically all the matches of his formation, except that after 18 meetings, he has only 5 starts on the clock.

His club, however, is doing well. The Alkmaar side made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Europa League Conference, Europe’s third-biggest competition, before losing and are all but qualified for another round of the competition next year by virtue of his fourth echelon in the championship.

The summer could be good for Mihailovic. This is his chance to arrive ready for the next training camp and become a regular starter for the team.

Ballou Tabla

Ballou Tabla’s career is certainly like a roller coaster. The child prodigy from the Impact Academy, then from the reserve team, arrived with the first team with the intention of using it as a springboard. After one season, his wish was granted and he left for the reserve team of FC Barcelona.

Unsuccessfully, he returned to Montreal, but never regained his touch. His second stint was marked above all by the points thrown by the leading heads of the club, in particular Thierry Henry. Leaving Montreal again, the nugget was rediscovered by going to the Canadian Premier League with Atlético d’Ottawa. Ballou Tabla was a finalist for the title of the most useful player on the circuit.

After just one steamy season in the nation’s capital, he was transferred to the Turkish second division, where he now wears the colors of Manisa FK.

With one game to play in the campaign, his club are on the doorstep of the qualifiers and will be looking to grab the last available place to compete for promotion to the top flight. His acclimatization happened delicately, but since then he has started seven of the club’s last eight games. The story of the 24-year-old adopted Montrealer is anything but over.

Luis Binks

First project of the Olivier Renard version of the CFM which left for Europe, Luis Binks slowly continues to progress.

The 21-year-old centre-back had been an important cog under Thierry Henry before leaving almost as quickly as he was acquired. The change was big in the career of Binks, who left Montreal for FC Bologna. However, for Joey Saputo, owner of the Italian club in question, it was not so considerable since the money moved from one of his pockets to the other.

In 2021-2022, the young defender’s season was not bad, considering the circumstances. He played 15 games, including 7 as a starter in the Italian first division. However, it is still too little to know a real progression, so this season he has been on loan with Côme for the whole year.

It’s mission accomplished in this chapter, while he was in the starting lineup almost every game. Would two more seasons in Montreal have been more beneficial to Binks’ development? Maybe, but he is expected to return to Bologna next year after an overall successful season.