Fans at Stade de Lyon were given an exciting glimpse of what is to come in a few months’ time. Thiago Almada – who will move to Olympique Lyonnais from Brazilian club Botofogo in January 2025 – scored Argentina’s opener in their crucial Paris 2024 group-stage clash with Iraq, concluding an excellent team move with a superb first-time finish.
The 23-year-old paved the way for a 3-1 win for La Albiceleste, who bounced back in impressive fashion from a shock opening-day defeat to Morocco
The playmaker, sporting the legendary Argentina No10 shirt, seems to have already found his feet in the French city he will soon call home. Speaking after the match, coach Javier Mascherano showered praise on Almada.
“He is the sort of player who can link up the midfield and attacking line,” he said. “He can pick out the final pass and catch opponents unawares. He’s a top player.”
Mascherano has benefited greatly from the services of his “top player” in recent times. Almada finished as joint top scorer in the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament with five goals, equalling Paraguay’s Diego Gomez and Uruguay’s Luciano Rodriguez.
Almada has also competed on the sport’s greatest stage, having been part of the Argentina squad at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. He may have only played seven minutes in the Middle East, in a 2-0 win over Poland, but Mascherano explained how his experience is key.
“Thiago is a world champion,” said Mascherano, who can call on three other World Cup winners at Paris 2024 – Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Gero Rulli. “Along with Otamendi, he is one of the captains of the national team. He’s a really important player for us.”
With a smile, Mascherano added: “He’s an excellent free-kick taker too, which you’ll get to see here.”
While he has yet to show off this particular talent at the Olympic Games, Lyon supporters will hoping they could have successor to free-kick king Juninho Pernambucano on their hands. Juninho joined the French team 23 years ago – remarkably, just a few months after the Argentinian was born. Almada need to go some way to emulate the Brazilian star, but his performance on Saturday certainly offers much cause for optimism.
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کلاس یوس