Thiago Almada, a World Cup winner in Atlanta
The Argentinian international, a 2022 Qatar World Cup champion, also won the ‘Young Player of the Year’ award in 2023.
Thiago Almada is one of the big names in the MLS. He transferred from Vélez to Atlanta for $14.7 million in February 2022, and his performance has captivated everyone.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder signed until December 2025, and his market value has been continuously rising. It currently hovers around $27.5 million, up from $15 million a year ago.
He plays a crucial role for Atlanta. He’s already won the MLS Young Player of the Year award for 2023 and in this, his second season in the league, he’s in final three for the MVP 2023 award, alongside Acosta and Bouanga.
He feels he has improved since last year: “I feel much better. I also know that I’m being marked a bit more, I have to lose my marker more…”
In April, there were rumors of a move to European football. 'Kiss Kiss Napoli', a Naples radio station, talked about interest from the Italian giants, but the transfer did not happen.
Scaloni called him up to replace the injured Correa in the World Cup, and he emerged from the tournament as a world champion. Although he only played six minutes against Poland, it was enough to earn the coach’s trust and return for subsequent friendlies.
His impact among the fans is also significant. The MLS published the top 10 jersey sales at the end of September, and Almada was in eighth place. He has carved a niche among the best players in his second year in the United States.
He is ambitious about the future and not content with simply staying in the MLS: “I have many dreams ahead. I dream of playing in Europe.”
Recently, he appeared on the Twitch channel of Argentinian journalist Gastón Edul. In the interview, he talked about those desires, leaving his future with Atlanta up in the air: “Hopefully it can happen. Right now, I’m very happy here at the club, which has helped me a lot to develop on and off the field, and we'll see what happens now in December and January.”
Despite having two years left on his contract, it seems Almada will listen to offers to take his professional career forward. Should he leave, Atlanta would lose a key piece of their present and future. It’s an issue they know they need to address.
In an interview with TNT, he admitted liking Manchester City and playing them on PlayStation. In fact, Guardiola's team showed interest in Almada when he was 18.
Indeed, in 2019, many went so far as to call him ‘the new Messi’. His potential is immense, but comparisons can be a double-edged sword. This year, he scored 11 goals and provided 16 assists in the regular season.
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