Argentina are one of the favourites to win the World Cup trophy this winter, and it's the one crown missing from Lionel Messi 's stunning collection.
There are many household names in the 26-man Argentina squad, with Messi, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Cristian Romero and Angel Di Maria all unsurprisingly making the cut. However, late injuries to Inter Milan's Joaquin Correa and Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez meant there were two more spaces up for grabs.
Thiago Almada is the recipient of one of those slots, making him the only active Major League Soccer star on Argentina's roster in Qatar. The talented 21-year-old only moved to Atlanta United this year, and now will switch his attention to the World Cup as he hopes to assist Messi in completing his dream.
Almada has enjoyed a statement season in Atlanta, scoring six goals in 29 MLS appearances during the 2022 season as an attacking midfielder/winger. The 21-year-old has also shown his versatility by filling into a deeper midfield role, something that Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli may have based his decision around.
It was a poor season for Atlanta who didn't even get close to making the play-offs, but in a year dominated with issues off the field, Almada was a shining light on it. Almada signed a pre-transfer agreement with Atlanta in December 2021, as Argentinian side Velez Sarsfield agreed to let him leave in February 2022 - when the MLS season started.
Almada arrived with a lot of promise, as Atlanta reportedly spent a league-record $16million (£13.5m) to bring him in. It may not have been the season that Atlanta were looking for, but their decision to splash the cash on Almada has already been justified.
The 21-year-old only received his first call-up to the Argentina national side in September 2022, and two months later he will be representing them on the biggest stage of them all, beside perhaps the greatest player of all-time. Although Almada's career rise has been fairly unconventional, he was backed to succeed from youth level.
The exciting youngster was born in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, and started playing football for Santa Clara at the age of four. The youth side also brought through fellow Argentinian Carlos Tevez, but after just one year Sarsfield snapped up his services.
Almada spent 12 years in their youth academy before being called up to the men's side in 2018, but even as a 17-year-old he didn't look out of place. Almada scored four goals in his first season while still a teenager, and racked up 22 goals before being noticed by Atlanta ahead of the 2022 MLS season.
The Atlanta midfielder was awarded MLS Newcomer of the Year back in October, and now that he will be performing on the world stage, the American side may struggle to hold onto him in the near future. Almada may have only made one appearance for the national team so far, but that doesn't mean he hasn't attracted the attention of Messi.
Messi has been impressed by Almada, and judging by his evaluation of the youngster, he will be happy to see him in Qatar. "Thiago is very fresh, he is a very fast player who knows how to play one on one," Messi said. "He is very mischievous. He is not afraid of anything."
Some praise from one of the best to ever play the game, who like all qualified nations, is seven games away from winning the World Cup. The Jules Rimet trophy is the one missing piece from Messi's collection after the Paris Saint Germain forward finally tasted Copa America success back in 2021.
Argentina are one of the favourites for the tournament, but will have to face Saudi Arabia, Poland and Mexico in Group C. They're expected to top the group, and unless there are any upsets along the way, they could meet Brazil in the World Cup semi-final.
The blockbuster match-up has the capability of being one of the greatest ever semi-finals, with Brazil also massively backed to win the tournament. Messi has won all there is to win at domestic level, but his international success has lacked.
Messi's Argentina had to settle for a runners-up medal in 2014 as they lost to Germany in the final, and this very well could be his last World Cup. All other members of the squad will need to pull their wait, and Almada will be looking to become a regular feature from now on.
