Thiago Almada explains River Plate move after Flamengo talks: “A dream” | OneFootball

What did Thiago Almada say after being announced by River Plate (ARG)?

Flamengo tried to sign Thiago Almada in this transfer window. However, the midfielder preferred to wear the River Plate (ARG) shirt. In a post on social media, the player explained his decision to join the Argentine team.

View this photo on InstagramA post shared by River Plate (@riverplate)

— My uncle, who lives there, played for River’s reserve team and did preseason with the first team, so my grandparents and I always used to come to the stadium. By one of life’s twists, he wasn’t able to play here. Now it’s my turn, so my family is very happy. He used to take me to training sessions when he was here and introduced me to all of his teammates — he said, before concluding:

— The truth is, I’ve always loved the club, I’ve always had a special connection with it. I think every boy dreams of playing for this club. I’m fulfilling a dream, and I hope I can bring the fans a lot of joy — said Thiago Almada.

Why didn’t Flamengo sign Thiago Almada?

Flamengo had everything agreed with Atlético de Madrid (ESP), Thiago Almada’s former club. However, during the talks, the player asked for a net salary of 6 million euros (R$ 35 million) per year, which would amount to more than R$ 2.9 million per month.

Thus, according to journalist Mônica Alves from Coluna do Fla, Flamengo’s board felt that the disparity would create an imbalance in the dressing room and jeopardize the group’s harmony. That is because Thiago Almada would earn the highest salary in the squad.

What is the article author’s opinion of Thiago Almada?

What are the details of River Plate’s signing?

River Plate paid 20 million euros (around R$ 128 million) to sign Thiago Almada. In addition, the 25-year-old midfielder signed with the Argentine team until December 2030.

Did Flamengo sign another player after the ‘failure’ with Almada?

After talks with Thiago Almada ended, Flamengo opened negotiations to sign Luiz Henrique from Zenit (RUS). The Russian team demanded payment up front to release the forward, but Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, did not agree to that condition.

It is worth noting that Flamengo does not intend to make financial ‘crazy moves’ in this transfer window. That is because, at the start of 2026, the rubro-negra board invested R$ 431.8 million in the signings of Lucas Paquetá, Vitão, and Andrew.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.