.jpg) Almirón withAtlanta United in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miguel Ángel Almirón Rejala[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-02-10)10 February 1994 (age 31)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | San Pablo, Paraguay | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Atlanta United | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2012 | Cerro Porteño | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2015 | Cerro Porteño | 39 | (6) |
| 2015–2016 | Lanús | 35 | (3) |
| 2016–2019 | Atlanta United | 62 | (21) |
| 2019–2025 | Newcastle United | 186 | (23) |
| 2025– | Atlanta United | 31 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Paraguay U17 | 10 | (7) | |
| 2012–2013 | Paraguay U20 | 16 | (2) |
| 2015– | Paraguay | 73 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 October 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | |||
Miguel Ángel Almirón Rejala (born 10 February 1994) is a Paraguayan professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder orright winger forMajor League Soccer clubAtlanta United and theParaguay national team.
Almirón began his career atCerro Porteño and transferred toLanús in 2015. After winning the2016 Argentine Primera División, he signed for Atlanta United for $8 million. He was named in theMLS Best XI for both of his seasons in Major League Soccer, as well asMLS Newcomer of the Year for 2017. After helping Atlanta to theMLS Cup in2018, Almirón signed forPremier League sideNewcastle United for £21 million, a club record and the highest fee for an MLS player. In January 2025, Almirón returned to Atlanta United.
Almirón made his international debut for Paraguay in 2015, and represented the country at theCopa América in2016,2019,2021, and2024.
Miguel Almirón was born into an impoverished family in theSan Pablo neighborhood ofAsunción, where his father Ruben worked 18-hour shifts as a security guard and his mother Sonia worked in a supermarket.[4][5] He trained withClub 3 de Noviembre from the age of seven and trialed with other teams but was considered "too frail" by his coaches to become a professional footballer.[5] The seven members of his household slept in three bedrooms, and he had to share a bed with his mother until he was 18.[6][7]
Rejected fromClub Nacional for being too lightweight, Almirón moved toCerro Porteño. His new club still had reservations about his physique, and he did not play regularly until he was on their under-17 side.[7]
In August 2015, Almirón signed forClub Atlético Lanús in theArgentine Primera División.[8] Introduced slowly in his first season by Lanús managerGuillermo Barros Schelotto, Almirón came to the forefront the next season in the shortened2016 Argentine Primera División underJorge Almirón. Playing as an advanced central midfielder, Almirón was pivotal in Lanús'2016 Argentine Primera División title win, scoring key goals against local rivalsBanfield in the Clásico del Sur,[9] and later in the final againstSan Lorenzo.[10] A few months later, in August 2016, Almirón set-up the only goal in Lanús' Copa Bicentenario victory overRacing.[11]
On 5 December 2016, Almirón signed with the newMajor League Soccer expansion teamAtlanta United FC.[12] He joined as a "Young Designated Player"[13] and Atlanta paid a transfer fee of around $8 million to Lanús.[14] The club also paid $50,000 ingeneral allocation money toSeattle Sounders FC, who held the MLS discovery rights to Almirón.[15]
Almirón was an important figure in Atlanta United's first season, described as the "heartbeat" of the team by veteran teammateJeff Larentowicz.[16] On 12 March, Almirón scored his first goals for the club, notching a brace in the club's second game, a 6–1 victory over fellow MLS newcomersMinnesota United FC.[17] He scored the second hat-trick in club history on 20 May against theHouston Dynamo, and scored two goals a week later againstNew York City FC.[18] Almirón joined teammatesGreg Garza andMichael Parkhurst in theMLS All-Star Game on 2 August,[19] and topped the league's list of 24 players under the age of 24, released on 28 September.[20] During the regular season, Almirón was named to sevenTeams of the Week by Major League Soccer, and was named Player of the Week twice.[21][22][23] At the end of the season, he was named to the league's Best XI[24] and was namedNewcomer of the Year.[25]
In April 2018, Almirón was named MLS Player of the Month for his five goals and two assists as Atlanta went unbeaten with three wins and a draw.[26] With 12 goals and 14 assists, he was again named in the MLS Best XI, alongside teammateJosef Martínez.[27] Atlanta wonMLS Cup 2018 against thePortland Timbers in only their second season of existence, and Almirón was named in the Team of the2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.[28]
On 31 January 2019, Almirón joinedPremier League sideNewcastle United for an undisclosed fee on a five-and-a-half-year deal.[29] The transfer fee was believed to be around £21 million, at the time a club record,[30] and arecord for an MLS player. He made his Premier League debut on 11 February in a 1–1 draw atWolverhampton Wanderers, playing the final 18 minutes in place ofChristian Atsu.[31] Fans and media likened Almirón to Santiago Muñez, a fictional Newcastle player from the filmGoal! who also originated from Latin America and moved toSt James' Park via the United States.[32][33][6] During a match against Southampton on 20 April, he was tackled byOriol Romeu and suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.[34] Almirón struggled to score in his first months with Newcastle, but helped his side to avoid relegation.[35] After registering 40 shots with no goals, he scored his first Premier League goal on 21 December in a 1–0 victory overCrystal Palace.[36] He finished the season with a club-best eight goals in all competitions.[37]
On 6 February 2021, Almirón scored twice in a 3–2 home win overSouthampton, a game in which he ran 11.29 km, the most on his team. He then scored four goals in his last 12 Premier League games, the same as he scored in the 55 before that.[38]
On 21 August 2022, Almirón broke a goal-scoring drought by scoring an equalizer againstManchester City, following a cross from Newcastle teammateAllan Saint-Maximin.[39] In October, Almirón scored six goals in six matches, with two goals againstFulham,[40] and one each againstBrentford,[41]Everton,[42]Tottenham Hotspur[43] andAston Villa, reaching seven Premier League goals for the season, the most in his time in thePremier League.[44] Following that success, he wonPremier League Player of the Month forOctober 2022 andPremier League Goal of the Month for his first-half goal against Fulham.[45][46] On 6 November, Almirón continued his scoring run with the opening goal against Southampton in a 4–1 victory, scoring his seventh goal in as many games, one more than in his previous 74 Premier League appearances.[47] The next weekend againstChelsea, his scoring run came to an end, but he assistedJoe Willock for the only goal of the game.[48]
On 24 February 2023, Almirón signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[49] On 4 October of the same year, he scored his first goal in theUEFA Champions League,[50] becoming the ninth Paraguayan player to score in the competition and putting Newcastle ahead 1–0 againstParis Saint-Germain in an eventual 4–1 win.[51][52][53][54] His goal was Newcastle's first in the competition in over 20 years, sinceAlan Shearer scored in 2003.[54][55]In March 2025, after Almirón had left the club, Newcastle United won the EFL Cup. As he had played four games in the cup campaign prior to leaving, Almirón received a winners medal.[56]
On 30 January 2025, Almirón rejoined Atlanta United.[57] The club paid $400,000 in general allocation money toCharlotte FC, who had acquired the MLS discovery rights to Almirón.[58]
Almirón played for theParaguay under-20 national team in the2013 South American Youth Football Championship in Argentina, and was highly involved as his team finished second toColombia.[59][60] Later that year, he was called up for the2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, where Paraguay reached the last 16.[61]
On 5 September 2015, Almirón made hissenior international debut in a 3–2 friendly loss away toChile, playing the final nine minutes in place ofJonathan Fabbro.[62] ManagerRamón Díaz called him up the following May for theCopa América Centenario in the United States, where he started two matches in a group-stage exit.[63]
In March 2019, in a friendly againstMexico atLevi's Stadium, Almirón came on as a substitute. Seven minutes later, he received a straight red card for a foul onJosé Juan Vázquez in which he dragged his studs down the back of the opponent's leg.[64] He scored his first goal for Paraguay during the 4–2 victory againstJordan on 10 September 2019,[65] and on 10 October 2019, he was sent off for diving in a 1–0 friendly loss toSerbia.[66]
Almirón was born on 10 February 1994, inSan Pablo, a neighborhood ofAsunción, in a family environment marked by economic constraints.[67] His father, Rubén Almirón, worked 18-hour shifts as a security guard, while his mother, Sonia Rejala, worked at a supermarket.[67] The house shared by the seven family members had only three bedrooms, which meant that Almirón had to share a bed with his mother until he was 18.[68] For much of his childhood, he lived with his grandparents.[67] Almirón isCatholic, as evidenced by two religious quotes tattooed on his arms.[69] He married his high school sweetheart,Alexia Notto, who is a dancer,Zumba instructor, andinfluencer.[70] The marriage took place on 29 August 2016,[71] and on 6 June 2021, they welcomed their first child, Francesco.[72]
| 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 | ||
| Cerro Porteño | 2013 | Paraguayan Primera División | 6 | 1 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | |||
| 2014 | Paraguayan Primera División | 14 | 0 | – | – | 1[c] | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2015 | Paraguayan Primera División | 19 | 5 | – | – | 1[d] | 0 | – | 20 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 6 | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | 41 | 6 | |||||
| Lanús | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3[c] | 1 | – | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 4 | |||
| Atlanta United FC | 2017[75] | Major League Soccer | 30 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1[f] | 0 | 32 | 9 | ||
| 2018[76] | Major League Soccer | 32 | 12 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 5[f] | 1 | 38 | 13 | |||
| Total | 62 | 21 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 1 | 70 | 22 | ||||
| Newcastle United | 2018–19[76] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20[77] | Premier League | 36 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 8 | |||
| 2020–21[78] | Premier League | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 39 | 5 | |||
| 2021–22[79] | Premier League | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23[80] | Premier League | 34 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 41 | 11 | |||
| 2023–24[81] | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6[g] | 1 | – | 45 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25[82] | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 186 | 23 | 13 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 1 | – | 223 | 30 | |||
| Atlanta United FC | 2025[83] | Major League Soccer | 31 | 6 | – | – | – | 2[h] | 0 | 33 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 353 | 59 | 19 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 411 | 68 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paraguay | 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 73 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2019 | Amman International Stadium, Amman, Jordan | 23 |  Jordan | 2–2 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 14 November 2019 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 25 |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 24 June 2021 | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil | 34 |  Chile | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2021 Copa América |
| 4 | 24 March 2022 | Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay | 43 |  Ecuador | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 10 June 2022 | Suwon World Cup Stadium,Suwon, South Korea | 45 |  South Korea | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 6 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 7 | 18 June 2023 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion, Paraguay | 49 |  Nicaragua | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 19 November 2024 | Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto, Bolivia | 64 |  Bolivia | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 10 October 2025 | Suita City Football Stadium,Suita, Japan | 70 |  Japan | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup |
Cerro Porteño
Lanús
Atlanta United
Newcastle United
Individual
Paraguay squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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