Soccer-Atletico agree deal to sign Argentine Almada from Botafogo
"Our club and the Brazilian club have reached an agreement pending confirmation once the player passes the relevant medical examination and initials the contract," Atletico said in a statement.
Local media reports said that Almada is set to sign a contract until 2030 after Atletico paid around 21 million euros ($24 million) for the 24-year-old, who can also play as a winger.
A World Cup winner with Argentina, Almada made his senior debut with Velez Sarsfield in 2018 before joining Major League Soccer's Atlanta United.
With Botafogo he won both the Brazilian Serie A title and the Copa Libertadores in 2024, before joining Ligue 1's Olympique Lyonnais on loan in January this year.
($1 = 0.8619 euros)
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
21 minutes ago
- The Star
Soccer-France favourites but Germany have the will, says coach Wueck
BERN (Reuters) -Germany's group stage at the Women's Euro may not have gone to plan but the eight-time winners have put all the setbacks behind them as they get ready to face France in the quarter-finals, coach Christian Wueck said on Friday. Germany were thrashed 4-1 by Sweden and had defender Carlotta Wamser sent off in their final Group C game in a sub-par performance that saw them finish second in the standings. That set up a blockbuster clash between Germany and France, who Wueck considers as favourites for Saturday's showdown in Basel. "If you look at the raw numbers, the French won nine points in the group stage, we won six, that's why I think the French are the favourites," Wueck told reporters. The Germans have had five days to get over the unexpected defeat by the Swedes, who are heading home before the Germans after losing their quarter-final 3-2 on penalties to England on Thursday. "It's incredibly important that the disappointment from that (group) game against Sweden is now gone," Wueck said. "I think we've managed to ensure that we're not just looking forward to this quarter-final, but that we're approaching this knockout phase in such a way that it's now really clear to us that the performance on the pitch will decide whether we stay in the tournament or not." Wueck said he expected his players to give a much better account of themselves when they meet France at the St Jakob-Park Stadium to decide who will take the last spot in the semi-finals. "I know that the euphoria and the will to go into this game is definitely there now. That's why it was good ... that we had so much time to process the match against Sweden," Wueck said. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor, additional reporting by Elena Rodriguez, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Cycling-Dominant Pogacar not in a giving mood as Tour lead swells
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 13 - Loudenvielle to Peyragudes - Loudenvielle, France - July 18, 2025 UAE Team Emirates XRG's Tadej Pogacar in action during stage 13 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier LOUDENVIELLE, France (Reuters) -Tadej Pogacar has no intention of handing out freebies at this year's Tour de France - not even with the yellow jersey firmly on his back and rivals gasping for air in the mountains. After storming to his fourth stage victory, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader dismissed the idea that he should back off to spare his competitors - a trend that emerged during the Lance Armstrong era - insisting that every opportunity to win is one worth taking. "I'm not here to make enemies, but it's the Tour de France. You cannot just back off. The team pays you to win, not to give away. If there's an opportunity, you go for it," the Slovenian said. The world champion's commanding time trial victory on Friday further solidified his lead in the general classification, coming a day after he dealt a massive blow to his main rivals. The defending champion leads Jonas Vingegaard by a massive 4:07 after quadrupling his advantage over the Danish rider in two days. Yet Pogacar said he's not thinking about the next summit finish or iconic climb just yet. "The big point of the Tour was today," he said. "Now, we go stage by stage. The goal is to defend the jersey and keep the same gap. We can't burn out the team - we have to be smart." Asked whether his dominance risked alienating others in the peloton, Pogacar was unapologetic. "When I finish my career, I probably won't talk to 99% of the peloton anyway. I'll focus on my close friends and family." Despite the bravado, he remains acutely aware of how quickly things can unravel at the Tour. "In 2022 and 2023, I cracked. I had great tours, but I lost. You never know - a bad day can always come," he said, referring to his painful losses to Vingegaard. The three-time Tour champion also offered a rare moment of introspection when asked what keeps him pushing after every win. "What's the point of anything?" he said. 'I built my life around the bike. I met my closest friends and my fiancee through cycling. You just have to enjoy the moment - not just the victories." Still, with the finish in Paris looming, Pogacar shows no sign of slowing or sharing the glory, true to his 'Baby Cannibal' nickname, a reference to all-time great Eddy Merckx, the man he could emulate one day. Just like the Belgian he can win the Tour the year after claiming the world title, a feat achieved by only three riders, with American Greg LeMond in 1990 being the last to achieve it. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Top gymnast Sharul displays grit as he makes his way back from injury
Tough luck: Mohd Sharul Aimy suffered a knee injury while doing a control test for the World Cup in Egypt last April.
