Biggest signing in the history of Argentine football, Thiago Almada joined River Plate a few days ago. However, the midfielder came very close to signing with Flamengo.

The Brazilian club made a higher offer than the 20 million euros paid by River Plate, including a salary that was also higher than what was offered by the Argentine club. However, the 25-year-old player explained the reasons that led him to reject Flamengo and choose a return to football in his home country.

World champion with Argentina and Libertadores winner with Botafogo

Coming up through the youth ranks at Vélez Sarsfield, where he played 99 matches, scored 23 goals and provided nine assists, Almada quickly emerged as one of the great promises of South American football.

READ MORE: See how Thiago Almada can fit into River Plate

In 2022, he moved to Atlanta United in Major League Soccer (MLS), playing 83 games, scoring 26 goals and providing 26 assists. His performances in North America earned him a call-up to the Argentina national team coached by Lionel Scaloni, becoming part of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In the second half of 2024, the midfielder moved to Brazilian football to play for Botafogo. In 26 appearances for the alvinegro team, he scored three goals and played a key role in the historic conquests of the Brazilian Championship and the Copa Libertadores.

After a successful spell in Rio de Janeiro, he moved on to European football, wearing the shirts of Lyon and then Atlético de Madrid.

Almada’s Sofascore numbers and ratings in the last season

In the 2025/2026 season with Atlético de Madrid, Thiago Almada played 40 official matches, scoring four goals and providing two assists. The midfielder maintained a Sofascore average rating of 6.82 in the Spanish league, playing both as a central playmaker and on the left side of the pitch.

For the Argentina senior national team, the player has 21 matches, five goals, and four assists over the course of his career. Almada played in the 2026 World Cup, featuring in five matches and posting Sofascore average ratings between 5.7 and 6.5 per match.

As the biggest signing in the history of the football nation that produced Messi and Maradona (see the top-10 biggest Argentine transfers above), Almada signed until 2030 and is already undergoing physical reconditioning and training with the ball.

The technical staff expects to give the player his debut in the coming rounds, aiming to live up to the substantial investment and lead the team in competitions during the second half of the season.

And on Sofascore you can follow Almada’s entire journey at River Plate, with numbers, ratings, statistics and real-time updated information.