Banned from recruitment by the DNCG, Olympique Lyonnais, 6th in Ligue 1, does not have the right to buy players. On the other hand, nothing prevents him from being lent one. This is how John Textor's club has just formalized the arrival of Thiago Almada until next June.
The Argentine playmaker, world champion in Qatar in 2022, has been playing since last summer in Brazil, at Botafogo, another club owned by… the bustling American businessman.
To celebrate the arrival of the former Velez Sarsfield player, who was presented to the squad on Monday at the Décines training center, OL chose humor in a clip on social networks.
We see Almada behind the wheel of his car, listening Don't let the night break (made famous by Julio Iglesias), a cup of mate placed on the central armrest. The South American looks at a message on his cell phone from a certain “Lionel”: “Don’t listen to Cristiano, Ligue 1 is incredible! »
A small tackle to CR7, who recently declared that the French Championship was no match for the Saudi first division, where he plays at Al-Nassr… The Argentinian then reminded his compatriot and new teammate Nicolas Tagliafico that 'he already knows the place. Last summer, in fact, he was part of the Olympic team which beat Iraq (3-1) on the second day of the tournament. He even opened the score in his future stadium…
A few days earlier, Botafogo had spent nearly 20 million euros with Atlanta in MLS to recruit him. In the space of half a season in Brazil, Thiago Almada, who will leave the American continent for the first time, achieved the championship-Copa Libertadores double, participated in 26 matches in all competitions and scored three goals for two assists decisive.
“He is a player who has qualities that are a bit similar to Rayan Cherki and Saïd Benrahma,” summarized Lyon coach Pierre Sage last December. It would give us an even more technical touch in what we do, with mastery, with the idea of having the ball and impacting our opponents. »
