Quebec teenager chases dream of playing professional soccer in Europe

A dream, determination, and grit – those are the pillars that allowed a Montreal teenager to follow his goal of playing sports overseas.

Alexis Gaudreault, 17, turned hard work and motivation into the career path he always envisioned for himself: playing soccer in Europe.

That became a reality when he joined the international academy club linked to France’s top-flight football team FC Metz.

Now the next goal is turning that opportunity into a professional contract.

“When I was a kid, I always dreamed about playing in Europe,” said Gaudreault. “When I was young, I did some tournaments in Europe, there was always hope in my mind that one day I will play overseas.”

His parents, Mathieu Gaudreault and Isabelle Ligot, saw the motivation that their teenage son had and supported him in any way they could.

“As far as I can remember, Alexis always wanted to play soccer,” said Ligot. “He began at a really young age, around four years old. And yeah, he loved it.

“He knew that was in Europe that he would have the best opportunities in order to become a pro, that’s what he wanted to do then.”

Credit: Mathieu Gaudreault/HO

Alexis Gaudreault was playing for Club de foot Saint-Laurent, a soccer team in Montreal’s Ville Saint-Laurent known for developing players who reach international heights – like Mali native Ismael Kone, who currently plays for CF Montreal in Major League Soccer.

Gaudreault jumped on every occasion to play on an international level. He played in the Netherlands and Spain, and always had the support of his parents to do so. The goal was to showcase his skills to sports agents fishing for international talent.

Rocco Placentino, a former Montreal Impact player when the team was in the United Soccer League, was Gaudreault’s coach at Club de foot Saint-Laurent. Placentino says the moment he met Gaudreault, he knew there was coachable talent there.

“Alexis came into our club with a lot of professionalism,” he recounted. “He’s a very educated boy and he came into our club where if you come into Saint-Laurent’s elite program on the boy’s side and now on the girl’s side, it’s rough. There’s a lot of players that are street players and they’re really raw.

“He came into an ambience that was very like, if you’re not on your toes, they’ll take the ball away from you. Because he’s such a coachable boy, it’s easier for him to fit into this aggressive wanting to win, want to learn atmosphere.”

(Credit: Mathieu Gaudreault/HO)

Placentino says the new generation of soccer players in Quebec and in Canada have more opportunities to be noticed internationally now than previous generations.

“The kids today are super lucky in terms of the exposure they have,” he said. “A lot of games on YouTube, different platforms on social media where you can put your highlights, just the different infrastructures they have.

“Our job as educators today is how can we make the kids understand how lucky they are and not to take advantage of the situation but even work harder because they have easier chances of getting a scholarship or even playing for CF Montreal.”

Gaudreault’s journey to France was heavily inspired by another Quebec soccer player: CF Montreal fan favourite Samuel Piette.

The 27-year-old Piette, of Le Gardeur, Que., played in Germany and with FC Metz’s international academy – the same one Gaudreault joined a decade later – before joining Montreal in MLS.

While Gaudreault finishes his schooling, he still dreams of playing professionally one day.

“When you’re playing at the high level and you see one of your friends become a professional, it changes your mind about soccer because you know that it might be possible for you as well,” said the teenager.

“My inspiration for the future is to always do my best, always try harder, and who knows, maybe some opportunities may come my way but the goal of all of this is to become professional eventually.”