At just 22 years old, Thiago Almada has already won the most prestigious prize in world football with his national team Argentina, the World Cup. Following not just a successful 2022 MLS season with Atlanta United but also a strong start to the 2023 campaign, Almada has received major interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Scudetto winners Napoli, Europa League victors Sevilla, Portuguese champions Benfica, European giants Liverpool and on-the-up Newcastle United – who are familiar with Atlanta United players – are all said to be interested.
Almada is an attacking midfielder, who has 7 goals and 9 assists in just 16 games, which is equivalent to a goal involvement each game. The World Cup winners’ transfer won’t be cheap however, as he is expected to smash the MLS all-time record transfer fee (which was set by former Atlanta United player Miguel Almirón, sold to Newcastle United for $26 million) and he still has two years remaining on his current contract. The 22-year-old is also able to play on either wing, which helps to bring versatility to Atlanta United if needed.
The talent pool that is in MLS and that has left MLS
With Lionel Messi moving to the MLS and joining struggling Inter Miami, it’s fair to say that plenty of new fans will be brought to the league and this will give more opportunities for people to see the stars of the league shine. The MLS has some unbelievable talent, such as Almada, Carlos Vela, Josef Martinez, Giorgio Chiellini and now of course Messi, with the league becoming more attractive to players over recent years. La Masia graduate Riqui Puig has recently joined LA Galaxy, with the midfielder impressing last season. Five-time Champions League winner Gareth Bale retired from football in the summer, ending his career in dramatic style at LAFC, as he scored a goal in the eighth minute of added-time in extra-time to send his team to penalties against Philadelphia Union, with the team from Los Angeles winning the shootout and winning the MLS Cup.
The talent that has also come out of the MLS is eye-watering, with one of the best left-backs in world football, Alphonso Davies, coming through the Vancouver Whitecaps’ youth academy before earning a move to German giants Bayern Munich.
Almirón also earnt a move to Europe following an impressive stint at Atlanta United, with players such as Ricardo Pepi, Matt Turner, Julian Araujo and Tyler Adams to name some of the brilliant talent that has featured in the MLS over recent years and now play in Europe.
The ‘Five Stripes’ – as Atlanta United are nicknamed – could cash in on Almada during the off-season in Europe, with a fee of over $30 million being rumoured to be wanted by the MLS club for the young Argentine. In his last game for Atlanta United, he registered an assist against DC United, as Atlanta ran out 3-1 winners.
Messi also had positive words to say about the Almada, with the seven time Ballon D’or winner stating “He’s a very fast player. He’s clever and isn’t afraid of anything’.
Almada is currently with the Argentinian national team, as he was an unused substitute on the bench in Argentina’s recent 2-0 win against Australia in a friendly.
