Thiago Almada
Argentine footballer (born 2001) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thiago Ezequiel Almada (born 26 April 2001) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Ligue 1 club Lyon, on loan from Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Botafogo, and the Argentina national team.
|
Almada with Lyon in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thiago Ezequiel Almada[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 April 2001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team |
Lyon (on loan from Botafogo) | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Santa Clara | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2018 | Vélez Sarsfield | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Vélez Sarsfield | 45 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Atlanta United | 77 | (23) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Botafogo | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | → Lyon (loan) | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Argentina U23 | 13 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Argentina | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Almada was a member of the Argentina team that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making history by becoming the first active Major League Soccer (MLS) player to win the tournament. He also won the 2024 Copa Libertadores with Botafogo.
Early life
Thiago 'Guayo' Ezequiel Almada was born on 26 April 2001, in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires in Argentina. He grew up in the neighbourhood of Fuerte Apache, which is known for high crime rates and prevalent drug use.[3] 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.[4]
Club career
Summarize
Perspective
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.[5] In October 2018, he was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation 2018".[6]
Almada began his first-team career as a wing forward under manager Gabriel Heinze. He played alongside Matías Vargas, Nicolás Domínguez, Lucas Robertone, and Fernando Gago. In his first two years with Heinze at the helm, Almada appeared in 46 matches and tallied nine goals.[citation needed] In 2020, new club manager Mauricio Pellegrino moved Almada to the midfield, due to the departure of several players in that position. Almada then earned 15 goals in 42 matches.[citation needed]
Atlanta United
Signing and 2022 season
On 4 December 2021, Vélez Sarsfield announced that it had reached an agreement with Major League Soccer club Atlanta United for the pre-transfer of Almada in February 2022.[7] The transfer, reportedly worth a league-record $16 million, was officially announced by Atlanta on 9 February 2022.[8][9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
On 14 February, Almada made his official debut for Atlanta wearing the number 8 against C.D. Guadalajara during the team's pre-season tour of Mexico. Atlanta would end up losing the match 3–0.[12] He made his MLS debut against expansion team Charlotte FC on 15 March as a substitute in Atlanta's 2–1 win.[citation needed] Almada scored his first goal for the club in a 3–3 draw with CF Montréal four days later. The goal would end up winning the MLS Goal of the Week contest for Matchday 4.[13]
2023 season
On 25 February 2023, Almada scored two goals (one of which was a free kick) in the first game of the 2023 season, helping Atlanta gain a 2–1 win over San Jose Earthquakes.[14][15] As a result, Almada was named MLS Player of the Week,[16] as well as being featured in the league's Team of the Matchday.[17]
Botafogo
On 6 July 2024, Almada officially joined Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Botafogo,[18][19] signing a five-year contract with the club;[19][20] The deal reportedly commanded a fee of $21 million (€19,5 million) plus $9 million (€7,5 million) in add-ons; in the process, it broke the transfer record both for the MLS,[18] and the Brazilian league.[21]
Lyon
On 19 December 2024, he announced that he would join Ligue 1 side Lyon on 5 January 2025.[22] Lyon announced his arrival on 15 January 2025, as loan deal until 30 June 2025.[23]
International career
Almada played for the Argentina under-20 squad in 2019, before featuring for the under-23 squad in 2021.[citation needed]
His debut in the Argentina national team came on 23 September 2022, in Miami, during a friendly match against Honduras.[citation needed]
In November 2022, Almada was officially called up to the Argentinian World Cup squad to replace injured Joaquín Correa, only five days before Argentina's first game of the tournament.[24] He was a member of the squad that ultimately won the tournament, becoming the first active MLS player to win a World Cup.[25] In Argentina's final group stage game, he made his 2022 World Cup debut against Poland. He came on in the 86th minute as a substitute of Alexis Mac Allister in which Argentina was victorious by 2–0.[26]
On 23 March 2023, Almada scored his first international goal for Argentina at the senior level during a friendly against Panama in his third appearance for the senior team, becoming the first-ever MLS-based player to score for the national team.[27]
Personal life
In February 2021, Almada was identified as a person of interest by local authorities after a party in San Isidro, Buenos Aires on 4 December 2020. A 28-year-old woman said several people sexually abused her in a house rented by Juan Martín Lucero. After the investigation became public, his club suspended both him and Miguel Brizuela.[28] 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."[29]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 April 2025[30]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vélez Sarsfield | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | 22 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | — | 25 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | — | — | — | 8[c] | 4 | — | 8 | 4 | ||||||
| 2021 | 7 | 3 | — | 7 | 4 | 6[d] | 2 | — | 20 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 45 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 16 | 7 | — | 74 | 22 | |||
| Atlanta United | 2022 | MLS | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 7 | |||
| 2023 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 2[e] | 1 | 35 | 13 | |||
| 2024 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 77 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 83 | 26 | |||
| Botafogo | 2024 | Série A | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| Lyon (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 4[g] | 1 | — | 15 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 150 | 35 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 198 | 53 | ||
- Includes Copa Argentina, U.S. Open Cup and Copa do Brasil
- Includes Copa de la Superliga and MLS Cup playoffs
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
- Appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 25 March 2025[31]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 3 | |
- Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each Almada goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2023 | Estadio Mâs Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 3 |  Panama | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [32] |
| 2 | 15 October 2024 | Estadio Mâs Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 6 |  Bolivia | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [33] |
| 3 | 21 March 2025 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | 7 |  Uruguay | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [34] |
Honours
Botafogo
Argentina
Individual
- MLS Newcomer of the Year: 2022[36]
- MLS All-Star: 2023[37]
- MLS Best XI: 2023[38]
- MLS Player of the Month: February/March 2023[39]
- MLS Young Player of the Year: 2023[40]
- Copa Libertadores Team of the Tournament: 2024[41]
- South American Team of the Year: 2024[42]
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.