Thiago Ezequiel Almada (born 26 April 2001) is an Argentine professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

or winger for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, on loan from

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

club

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

, and the Argentina national team. Almada was a member of the Argentina team that won the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, making history by becoming the first active

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) player to win the tournament. He also won the

2024 Copa Libertadores The 2024 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 65th edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The competition began on 6 February an ...

with Botafogo.

Early life

Thiago 'Guayo' Ezequiel Almada was born on 26 April 2001, in

Ciudadela, Buenos Aires Ciudadela is a city in Greater Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is located in the Tres de Febrero Partido, immediately to the west of the neighborhood of Liniers in Buenos Aires city proper. It is separated from the city by Gen ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. He grew up in the neighbourhood of

Fuerte Apache Barrio Ejército de los Andes, better known as ''Fuerte Apache'', is a neighbourhood of Ciudadela near the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is known for its high crime rates and prevalent drug use. Development The neighborhood arose during t ...

, which is known for high crime rates and prevalent drug use. Almada spent many of his early years selling fruit and vegetables door-to-door to earn extra money. Much time was spent with his grandparents while his parents worked.

Club career

Vélez Sarsfield

At the age of four, Almada played football for a local club, Santa Clara. He was picked up by Vélez Sarsfield at age five, where he made his way through the youth academy. In August 2018, just four months after his 17th birthday, Almada made his professional debut with the club. In October 2018, he was included in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

's "Next Generation 2018". Almada began his first-team career as a wing forward under manager

Gabriel Heinze Gabriel Iván Heinze (; born 19 April 1978) is an Argentine football coach and former player. As a player, he operated as a defender, either as a left-back or a centre-back. Nicknamed '' Gringo'', he made a name for himself at Paris Saint-Germai ...

. He played alongside Matías Vargas, Nicolás Domínguez, Lucas Robertone, and

Fernando Gago Fernando Rubén Gago (; born 10 April 1986) is an Argentine football Manager (association football), manager and former player. He is the current head coach of Liga MX club Club Necaxa, Necaxa. During his 16-year club career, limited by multiple ...

. In his first two years with Heinze at the helm, Almada appeared in 46 matches and tallied nine goals. In 2020, new club manager

Mauricio Pellegrino Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna (; born 5 October 1971) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, currently manager of Lanús. After nearly one decade with Vélez Sarsfield, he spent the vast majority of his ...

moved Almada to the

midfield In many sports, midfield is the part of a sports field that is near the line that is equally far from the end lines. That is, in American football it is the part of the field near the 50-yard line; in association football (soccer) and field hoc ...

, due to the departure of several players in that position. Almada then earned 15 goals in 42 matches.

Atlanta United

Signing and 2022 season

On 4 December 2021, Vélez Sarsfield announced that it had reached an agreement with

club

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won o ...

for the pre-transfer of Almada in February 2022. The transfer, reportedly worth a league-record $16 million, was officially announced by Atlanta on 9 February 2022. Almada was unveiled in the club's kit the next day in a welcome ceremony that was held virtually due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. His signing was met with scrutiny by Atlanta fans due to the use of a racially insensitive gesture with his eyes during a recent goal celebration; Almada apologized shortly after being asked about the situation. On 14 February, Almada made his official debut for Atlanta wearing the number 8 against

C.D. Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A de C.V. (;), nicknamed ''"Chivas"'' () and simply known as Guadalajara or internationally as Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican professional football club based in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Jalisco. It ...

during the team's pre-season tour of Mexico. Atlanta would end up losing the match 3–0. He made his MLS debut against expansion team

Charlotte FC Charlotte Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the e ...

on 15 March as a substitute in Atlanta's 2–1 win. Almada scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw with

CF Montréal Club de Foot Montréal () is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Montreal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Founded in 1992 as the Mo ...

four days later. The goal would end up winning the MLS Goal of the Week contest for Matchday 4.

2023 season

On 25 February 2023, Almada scored two goals (one of which was a

free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...

) in the first game of the 2023 season, helping Atlanta gain a 2–1 win over

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

. As a result, Almada was named MLS Player of the Week, as well as being featured in the league's Team of the Matchday.

Botafogo

On 6 July 2024, Almada officially joined

side

, signing a five-year contract with the club; The deal reportedly commanded a fee of $21 million (

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

19,5 million) plus $9 million (€7,5 million) in add-ons; in the process, it broke the transfer record both for the MLS, and the Brazilian league.

Lyon

On 19 December 2024, he announced that he would join

side

on 5 January 2025. Lyon announced his arrival on 15 January 2025, as loan deal until 30 June 2025.

International career

Almada played for the Argentina under-20 squad in 2019, before featuring for the under-23 squad in 2021. His debut in the Argentina national team came on 23 September 2022, in Miami, during a friendly match against

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. In November 2022, Almada was officially called up to the Argentinian

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

squad to replace injured

Joaquín Correa Carlos Joaquín Correa (; born 13 August 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Série A club Botafogo. He is nicknamed "El Tucu" (derived from his home province of Tucumán). Club career Estudiantes Born in ...

, only five days before Argentina's first game of the tournament. He was a member of the squad that ultimately won the tournament, becoming the first active MLS player to win a World Cup. In Argentina's final group stage game, he made his 2022 World Cup debut against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He came on in the 86th minute as a substitute of

Alexis Mac Allister Alexis Mac Allister (born 24 December 1998) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool F.C., Liverpool and the Argentina national football team, Argentina national team. Mac Alli ...

in which Argentina was victorious by 2–0. On 23 March 2023, Almada scored his first international goal for Argentina at the senior level during a friendly against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

in his third appearance for the senior team, becoming the first-ever MLS-based player to score for the national team.

Personal life

In February 2021, Almada was identified as a person of interest by local authorities after a party in

San Isidro, Buenos Aires San Isidro is a city in Greater Buenos Aires. It is located 27.9 km from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA). It ranks as the province's most affluent neighborhood. History In 2007, San Isidro celebrated its 300 years of existence wit ...

on 4 December 2020. A 28-year-old woman said several people sexually abused her in a house rented by

Juan Martín Lucero Juan Martín Lucero (born 30 November 1991) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays as a forward for Fortaleza. Career Club Tijuana On January 13, 2017, Lucero made his Liga MX debut against Puebla F.C. ending in a 6–2 win. Honours ...

. After the investigation became public, his club suspended both him and Miguel Brizuela. A week after Almada was suspended, he was reinstated with the club stating, "substantial modifications were generated by virtue of the incorporation of new evidence, expertise and testimonies."

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each Almada goal.''

Honours

Botafogo *

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

Argentina *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Individual * MLS Newcomer of the Year:

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

* MLS Player of the Month: February/March 2023 * MLS Young Player of the Year:

Team of the Tournament:

*South American Team of the Year:

References

External links

* *
Thiago Almada
at the

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Almada, Thiago 2001 births Living people Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentina men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers Olympic footballers for Argentina Footballers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Atlanta United FC players Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Olympique Lyonnais players 2022 FIFA World Cup players FIFA World Cup–winning players Copa Libertadores–winning players Designated Players (MLS) Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in the United States Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Major League Soccer players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in France Footballers at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century Argentine sportsmen