 Almada withLyon in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thiago Ezequiel Almada[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (2001-04-26)26 April 2001 (age 24) | ||||||||||||||||
| 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 | Atlético Madrid | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Botafogo | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | →Lyon (loan) | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Atlético Madrid | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Argentina U23 | 13 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Argentina | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 8 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 November 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Thiago Ezequiel Almada (born 26 April 2001) is an Argentine professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder orwinger forLa Liga clubAtlético Madrid and theArgentina national team.
Almada was a member of the Argentina team that won the2022 FIFA World Cup, making history by becoming the first activeMajor League Soccer (MLS) player to win the tournament. He also won the2024 Copa Libertadores and theBrazilian Série A withBotafogo.
Thiago 'Guayo' Ezequiel Almada was born on 26 April 2001, inCiudadela, Buenos Aires inArgentina. He grew up in the neighborhoodEjército de los Andes, also referred to as 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]
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. On 10 August 2018, just four months after his 17th birthday, Almada made his professional debut againstNewell's Old Boys in a 2-0 victory and scored his first two goals on 5 November in the 3-2 loss againstDefensa y Justicia, both in the2018 Argentine Primera División.[5][6] In October 2018, he was included inThe Guardian's "Next Generation 2018".[7]
Almada began his first-team career as awing forward under managerGabriel Heinze. He played alongsideMatías Vargas,Nicolás Domínguez,Lucas Robertone, andFernando 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 managerMauricio Pellegrino moved Almada to themidfield, due to the departure of several players in that position. Almada then earned 15 goals in 42 matches.[citation needed]
On 4 December 2021, Vélez Sarsfield announced that it had reached an agreement withMajor League Soccer clubAtlanta United for the pre-transfer of Almada in February 2022.[8] The transfer, reportedly worth a league-record $16 million, was officially announced by Atlanta on 9 February 2022.[9][10] Almada was unveiled in the club's kit the next day in a welcome ceremony that was held virtually due to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.[11] 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.[12]
On 14 February, Almada made his official debut for Atlanta wearing the number 8 againstC.D. Guadalajara during the team's pre-season tour of Mexico. Atlanta would end up losing the match 3–0.[13] He made his MLS debut against expansion teamCharlotte 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 withCF Montréal four days later. The goal would end up winning the MLS Goal of the Week contest for Matchday 4.[14]
On November, he was awarded 2022 MLS Newcomer of the Year after being chosen in the MLS Team of the Week five times, including back-to-back on September 12 and 15, becoming the second Atlanta United player ever to earn that prize.[15]
On 25 February 2023, Almada scored two goals (one of which was afree kick) in the first game of the2023 season, helping Atlanta gain a 2–1 win overSan Jose Earthquakes.[16][17] As a result, Almada was named MLS Player of the Week,[18] as well as being featured in the league's Team of the Matchday.[19]
On 6 July 2024, Almada officially joinedBotafogo, ofCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, signing a five-year contract with the club. 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, and the Brazilian football.[20] He scored his first goal for Botafogo in a 2-1 win againstCorinthians for theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A.[21] In this short stint at Botafogo, Almada conquered the2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and2024 Copa Libertadores, being one of the main players on the team and becoming one of the fans’ favorites, guaranteeing his place in the eternal pantheon of the club’s greatest players.[22]
On 19 December 2024, Almada announced that he would joinLigue 1 sideLyon on 5 January 2025.[23] Lyon announced his arrival on 15 January 2025, as loan deal until 30 June 2025.[24]
On 15 July 2025,La Liga clubAtlético Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement with Botafogo for the transfer of Almada.[25]
Almada played for theArgentina under-20 squad in 2019, before featuring for theunder-23 squad in 2021.
His debut in theArgentina national team came on 23 September 2022, in Miami, during a friendly match againstHonduras.
In November 2022, Almada was officially called up to the ArgentinianWorld Cup squad to replace injuredJoaquín Correa, only five days before Argentina's first game of the tournament.[26] He was a member of the squad that ultimately won the tournament, becoming the first active MLS player to win a World Cup.[27] In Argentina's final group stage game, he made his 2022 World Cup debut againstPoland. He came on in the 83rd minute as a substitute ofAlexis Mac Allister in which Argentina was victorious by 2–0.[28]
On 23 March 2023, Almada scored his first international goal for Argentina at the senior level during a friendly againstPanama in his third appearance for the senior team, becoming the first-ever MLS-based player to score for the national team.[29]
Almada competed forArgentina at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[30]
Almada was reported for a case of alleged sexual abuse after a party inSan Isidro, Buenos Aires that occurred on 4 December 2020. A 28-year-old woman stated that she was sexually abused whilst unconscious by Almada, along with Vélez central defenderMiguel Brizuera and the formerArgentino de Quilmes coachJuan José Acuña Delbene in a house rented byJuan Martín Lucero.
According to the victim's account, which was corroborated by a witness, she went up to one of the rooms in order to have consensual sex with Almada, but drank something that began to make her ill. Then, Brizuela and another woman entered the room and started to do various unconsented sexual acts to her. The victim stated that she had never wanted to include Brizuela, and that the three people continued even though she was screaming that she did not want anything to do with it.[31]
After the investigation became public, his club suspended both him and Miguel Brizuela.[32] 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."[33]
In February 2021, Almada and Brizuela were charged with sexual abuse with the aggravating circumstances of carnal access and group abuse by prosecutor Laura Zyseskind. Acuña Delbene became a fleeing felon after being charged in December 2020, but was arrested at his home inQuilmes in July 2021,[34] while Almada and Brizuela are still awaiting sentencing by the Argentine court.
Despite the charges, Almada was called up byLionel Scaloni to play for the Argentine national team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This decision sparked controversy in Argentina and led to widespread international criticism ofAFA's decisions. The victim's attorney pointed out several irregularities in the case because, according to FIFA and AFA regulations, “a player is not allowed to be part of a national team if the team can certify that he has a pending criminal case.”[35]
| 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 | Argentine Primera División | 22 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | — | 25 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | Argentine Primera División | — | — | — | 8[c] | 4 | — | 8 | 4 | |||||
| 2021 | Argentine Primera División | 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 | MLS | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4[e] | 2 | 35 | 13 | |||
| 2024 | MLS | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 77 | 23 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 2 | 83 | 26 | ||||
| Botafogo | 2024 | Série A | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| Lyon (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 1 | — | — | 4[g] | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| Atlético Madrid | 2025–26 | La Liga | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[h] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| Career total | 162 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 29 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 212 | 55 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2022 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | |
| Total | 12 | 4 | |
| 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 | [38] |
| 2 | 15 October 2024 | Estadio Mâs Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 6 |  Bolivia | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [39] |
| 3 | 21 March 2025 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay | 7 |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [40] |
| 4 | 10 June 2025 | Estadio Mâs Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 10 |  Colombia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | [41] |
Botafogo
Argentina
Individual
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||
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