MLS wonderkid Thiago Almada granted European transfer wish despite Lionel Messi warning
Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada could play his final game in Major League Soccer on Saturday, with the World Cup winner set for an imminent transfer which will result in him playing for French team Lyon later this year.
The MLS Young Player of the Year is seen as one of the top talents across the entire league, and just weeks after Atlanta star striker Giorgos Giakoumakis left the club for Liga MX team Cruz Azul, Almada is set to follow him out the door. Almada, 23, has seen a $20 million bid from Eagle Football Group accepted by Atlanta, according to South American soccer journalist César Luis Merlo.
Eagle Football Group owns clubs such as Lyon, Crystal Palace, and Botofogo, and the plan is for Almada to join Botofogo in Brazil over the summer before moving to Lyon in December. Almada has been dreaming of playing in Europe and looks set to finally achieve his ambition.
Almada advised international teammate Lionel Messi about MLS when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was considering joining Inter Miami, and has grown close to one of the greatest players of all time. But Messi opened up about his poor experience in France after leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year, and Almada has decided to ignore the warning signs and pursue his European dream.
"I want to go to Europe now! Yes, now in this upcoming transfer window, I want to go now," Almada said to ESPN Latin America at the end of last year. A move didn't materialize that window and Almada started the 2024 MLS season with Atlanta and has five goals in 16 games.
Almada's exit was inevitable, with the midfielder contracted through 2026 with Atlanta and unlikely to sign a new deal The MLS team has decided to cash in on its prized asset and reinvest the money elsewhere, and its poor form this season also left Almada wanting a quick exit.
The 23-year-old will have to play in Brazil for five months before securing his move to France, where he will join international teammate Nicolas Tagliafico in the locker room. Several Argentinian players reside in France and many have played there in the past, but Messi endured an unpleasant experience there and even had former teammate Kylian Mbappe defending him following fan backlash.
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Lionel Messi was glad to leave France after a tough two years at Paris Saint-Germain.
"The truth is, it was a very difficult adaptation, much more than I expected," Messi told beIN Sports about his move to PSG. "Despite having people I knew in the locker room and having a relationship with them, it was difficult to adapt."
Messi has since stated how much happier he is since moving to Miami, and Mbappe slammed the French fans for how they treated the soccer icon in an interview with Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport. "Messi, he should be respected -- but instead, he didn't get the respect he deserved in France," Mbappe said. "It's a shame, but that's how it went."
Almada is moving to France at a very different stage of his career when compared with Messi, as he's looking to become one of the top players in his position. But although moving to Europe was always his ambition, playing in France wasn't his first choice. "I would like any top league. If I have to choose it’s Premier League or La Liga, but I would like any top league," Almada told ESPN.
Lyon finished the 2023-24 season strong and managed to clinch a Europa League spot, beating Lens and Marseille to sixth place. Champions League soccer is the goal for Lyon next season, and it's a competition Almada has dreamed of playing in.