Thiago Almada has been officially introduced as the new player for Olympique Lyon in France, but the spotlight was captured by the club’s creative production to unveil their new star. The audiovisual presentation begins with an Argentina flag hanging from the rearview mirror, accompanied by the song Que no rompa la noche by the cumbia band Los del Fuego. A pan shot reveals a mate, leading to a cellphone where a supposed message from “Lionel” appears, a clear reference to Messi: “Don’t listen to Cristiano, La Liga is incredible”. This nod aims to counter CR7, who recently claimed that “the Saudi League is better”, sparking significant controversy and support from local fans for Messi.
“Hey Thiago,” shouts a Lyon staff member, while Nicolás Tagliafico stops the car and clarifies to Thiago. “No, just behind you,” indicates the employee, as the Argentine defender has been with the club for three seasons. At that moment, the left-back peeks his head to see Almada: “You’re here, how did you come?” to which Thiago replies, “Look at my phone”. The forward, who emerged from Vélez, has previously played for Atlanta United in MLS and Botafogo in Brazil.
His connection to the team is linked to the matches he played with the Argentina U23 national team during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games against Iraq (3-1) and Ukraine (2-0), where they celebrated their two goals at the Parc Lyonnais. He was presented as “a world champion”, recalling the title won at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The club is currently facing a sensitive financial crisis, and even today, they are struggling to maintain their position in the top division of football in the country. After 18 matches, under the guidance of Pierre Sage, they are in sixth place, 14 points behind the leader, PSG.
At the same time, they are fourth in the general table of the Europa League and are preparing for the round of 16 in the cup, sharing the squad with compatriot Tagliafico and the experienced Alexandre Lacazette, who had previously stated he would leave after winning the Libertadores and Brasileirão: “Everything was arranged for us to stay six months and then leave Lyon. They will always remain in my heart,” he said in an interview with Cazé TV. The player managed to accumulate 25 appearances for the Brazilian entity and was eliminated in the Intercontinental final.
Off the field, Thiago Almada celebrated his wedding to Antonella D’Alotta at the Parroquia Nuestra Señora Las Nieves in Buenos Aires in early 2024. The celebration took place at the Alvear Icon Hotel and was attended by notable figures such as Exequiel Palacios and Ángel Correa.
