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 post 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 we always used to come to the stadium with my grandparents. As fate would have it, 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 that I’ve always loved the club, I’ve always had a special connection with it. I think every kid 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 6 million euros (R$ 35 million) net per year in salary, which would amount to more than R$ 2.9 million per month.

Thus, according to journalist Mônica Alves from Coluna do Fla, Flamengo’s top brass felt that the discrepancy would create an imbalance in the dressing room and compromise the group’s harmony. That is because Thiago Almada would receive the highest salary in the rubro-negro squad.

What is the article author’s opinion on 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 upfront payment to release the forward, but Luiz Eduardo Baptista, Bap, did not agree to that condition.

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

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