Almada gets warm welcome on Atlanta return after World Cup win
Atlanta United and Argentina midfielder Thiago Almada is the first ever active MLS player to win a World Cup.
At Qatar 2022, Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada became the first active MLS player to win a World Cup. The 21-year-old made one appearance for Argentina at the tournament, and watched on from the bench as the Albiceleste secured a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout win over France in the final last month.
Surprise welcome for Almada
Almada returned to Argentina to celebrate with the rest of his teammates and took some time off to enjoy the holidays. Now he is ready to go back to work and on Saturday he returned to Atlanta to start pre-season with the Five Stripes ahead of the 2023 MLS season.
Several Atlanta fans were at the airport to welcome Almada, chanting his name and unfurling banners commemorating his involvement in Argentina’s World Cup win. The player seemed very surprised and thanked the supporters by taking pictures with them and signing autographs.
With Josef Martínez set to leave Atlanta, Almada will be a key player for head coach Gonzalo Pineda during the upcoming MLS campaign. In their season opener, the 2018 league champions will be traveling to Tennessee to play against Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium on 28 January.