MONTREAL — Former Montreal Impact captain Patrice Bernier will play Ronaldinho in a legends game June 23 at Stade Saputo.
The match will be played at 5 p.m. ET and will be the culmination of the Montreal Legends of Soccer Weekend, which will run from June 21-23. Bernier and the organizers hope to bring a new yearly festival focused on soccer to Montreal and will make the city shine in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup.
“If I take the words of [Impact president] Kevin Gilmore that the Impact has to shine more in term of MLS I think Montreal has to shine more in terms of soccer,” Bernier said. “It’s to show that 2026 is here but we are on the stage of soccer and the international and local can connect. It’s not just to show that we can host 2026 but it’s to show that Montreal is part of the soccer world.”
Among the players announced for the Impact squad are Marco Di Vaio, Hassoun Camara, Jeb Brovsky, Justin Mapp and Cameron Porter. Pre-MLS Impact players Patrick Leduc, Gabriel Gervais and Nevio Pizzolitto will also feature on Bernier’s squad.
Bernier also contacted Impact legends Didier Drogba and Alessandro Nesta, but their presence has not been confirmed.
“I spoke to [Drogba] two days ago, but he’s a busy man,” Bernier said. “You need to contact him six months to year in advance. He said that he would love to, but he has engagements. He’s a global guy, but if we continue doing events like this, I’m pretty sure we can make him come with us. Same thing for Nesta. He coaches now and he might be in preseason at that time.”
Ronaldinho will be joined by a squad of former Brazilian players that have yet to be announced. This will be Ronaldinho’s second stop in Montreal. The former World Cup champion played a friendly game against the Impact in 2009 during his time at AC Milan.