- Almada wins YPOTY
- MLS star linked to Europe's elite
- 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina
WHAT HAPPENED? MLS announced Monday that the Atlanta United star had won the 2023 award, beating out some of the hottest up-and-coming stars in the league. Almada, however, was the clear favorite after an absolutely ridiculous campaign for the Five Stripes.
He netted 11 goals and added 19 assists during the regular season, and that came after his offseason was spent in Qatar with Argentina - where he won the 2022 World Cup alongside Lionel Messi.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Almada has been the subject of transfer talk all year, with Serie A giants Napoli linked to him as well as Dutch side Ajax. However, his performances late into the calendar may have caught the eyes of even more teams.
Atlanta United president Garth Lagerway even said that the Argentine 'deserves' to break the MLS transfer record - previously held by Atlanta themselves after the sale of Miguel Almiron to Newcastle United in 2019.
It's safe to say that Almada will be off to Europe sooner than later, but the question of where and when remains along with how much teams value him. To break Almiron's transfer fee, a team would need to fork up over $27m (€25m).
Next Match
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ALMADA? Atlanta United play game two of their best-of-three MLS playoff series against the Columbus Crew Tuesday evening. They trail the Crew 1-0 as things stand.