Thiago Almada explains River Plate move after Flamengo talks, calls it a dream | OneFootball

Flamengo tried to sign Thiago Almada in this window, but the midfielder chose River Plate. The player said in a post that the move fulfils a long-held dream rooted in his family's ties to the club.

He recalled an uncle who featured for River's reserves and took part in pre-season with the first team, saying their grandparents often took them to the stadium and that he was introduced to players during training visits. He added that he has always had a special connection to River, that many boys dream of playing there, and that he hopes to bring the supporters plenty of joy.

Flamengo had an agreement in place with Atlético de Madrid, Almada's former club. During talks, the player requested a net salary of six million euros a year, around 35 million reais, which equates to more than 2.9 million reais per month.

The board judged that such a gap would unsettle dressing-room harmony, since Almada would have been the squad's highest earner.

River Plate paid 20 million euros, about 128 million reais, to sign the 25-year-old, who has agreed a deal through December 2030.

After ending discussions for Almada, Flamengo opened talks for Zenit forward Luiz Henrique. The Russian club demanded payment in full, but Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, did not accept.

Flamengo are not planning financial 'madness' in this window, with the board having already spent 431.8 million reais early in 2026 on Lucas Paquetá, Vitão and Andrew.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”