‘He’s not afraid of anything’: Lionel Messi praises Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada after the 21-year-old made an impact coming off the bench on his Argentina debut in a 3-0 win over Honduras
- Messi described his compatriot as ‘very fast’ and ‘very smart’ after Friday’s win.
- Almada came on for Papu Gómez in the 54th minute, with Argentina 2-0 up
- His passing ratio was 91%, he recovered the ball four times and shot on goal
- Almada, who came to the US for $16 million, an MLS record, is desperate to go to Qatar
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Lionel Messi has praised Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada after the 21-year-old made his debut in Friday night’s 3-0 victory over Honduras in Miami, Florida.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was impressed by the Atlanta United midfielder’s 36-minute cameo after he came off the bench to replace Sevilla midfielder Papu Gomez in the 54th minute, with Albiceleste already up 2-0.
“Thiago plays loose,” the Paris Saint-Germain striker said in a post-match interview. “He is very fast and has a lot of 1-v-1 ability. He is very smart and is not afraid of anything. He goes to you.
Lionel Messi praised Thiago Almada, 21, after they both played against Honduras on Friday (3-0)
Almada was described as ‘very fast’, ‘very smart’ and ‘fearless of anything’ by PSG’s Messi.
Almada, who scored 17 times in 79 appearances for Velez Sarsfield before being sold to Atlanta for a league-record $16 million in February, kept his game clean in Friday’s game with a 91 percent passing rate ( 20 of 22 passes completed).
He also regained possession four times and created a shot for himself after opening up the Honduran defence.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni decided to call Almada up from among several youngsters ahead of La Albiceleste’s opening World Cup match against Saudi Arabia on November 22, as he looks to finalize his 26-man squad.
However, the 21-year-old was the only member of Scaloni’s roster playing in the US and besides goalkeeper Franco Armani, who plays for River Plate in Argentina, Almada is the only other player evolving outside of a European league.
The youngster now hopes to play and represent his country in Qatar with Messi and company, as Argentina was drawn in Group C along with Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
Almada (far right) and players celebrate for Argentina after a goal was scored against Honduras
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni sees Almada for the future after earning his first cap on Friday.
Meanwhile, Almada can hope to earn a second cap for his country in a friendly match on Tuesday night against Jamaica. Both Jamaica and Honduras have failed to reach the World Cup after poor CONCACAF campaigns.
Heading into Argentina’s World Cup campaign, Almada will want to play well in Atlanta’s final two games if the team wants to reach the MLS playoffs, starting Oct. 15. So far, in his first year in the league, the midfielder has six goals and 11 assists in 27 games (23 starts).
He has been so crucial to his club that he even ranked second on this year’s 22-Under-22 list presented by BODYARMOR.
Scaloni is a great admirer of Almada, as he wants to shape the future of La Albiceleste around him. The Argentina coach even encouraged the player to seek a move abroad to one of Europe’s top leagues in the future.
Atlanta has the league-record transfer exit in MLS history after selling Paraguayan winger Miguel Almiron to Newcastle United for $27 million in 2019.
George Bello, 20, was the first player from the Atlanta academy to be sold to Arminia Bielefeld in Germany’s Bundesliga for $2 million with a 25 percent sale percentage.
