Soccer <\/p>\n
The quick, radiant smile still gleams, lighting up whatever room he\u2019s in. The humble persona remains, too, refreshingly free of any visible signs of ego or airs. Even the haircut looks almost identical to the one he sported six years ago when he swapped Atlanta United<\/a>\u2019s black and red stripes for Newcastle United\u2019s black and white Magpie kit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Miguel Almir\u00f3n<\/a> officially made his return to the ATL on Friday, and it was almost like he never left.<\/p>\n \u201cI think from the moment that I left the airport here to go to Newcastle [in 2019], it was something that I spoke to my wife about, the possibility of coming back here, I think above all for the connection that I have with the fans and with the city,\u201d the Paraguayan playmaker said in Spanish in a well-attended afternoon press conference following his reported $10 million-plus transfer from NUFC.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I’m home,\u201d he added in a subsequent roundtable discussion with national reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans in Newcastle also treated me really well. I think it’s the same level of affection that I’ve received from both fan bases. I’m always going to be grateful to the Newcastle fans for that, for my time during my six years there. But that’s the same kind of respect and affection that I feel from the fans here in Atlanta.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s an undeniable romance to this reunion, an emotional reconnecting with a chief protagonist of ATLUTD\u2019s euphoric early years in MLS, when they charmed a previously soccer-wary city and shifted even how the league perceived itself.<\/p>\n Almir\u00f3n, Josef Mart\u00ednez<\/a> and coach Gerardo \u201cTata\u201d Martino will always be demigods in the capital of the South, thanks not only to the 2018 MLS Cup they won but the freewheeling, high-scoring style in which they did so. That chapter clearly left a legacy in the hearts of all involved \u2013 and for Almir\u00f3n, the sensation of coming back is heightened by the presence of his son Francesco, who turns 4 in June, this time around.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I loved the city, and we had a great experience here,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat I missed most was just the affection from the fan base and the respect. So now that I’m back with my son and the rest of my family, I’m looking forward to being able to share that with him \u2013 like when you’re in public and you go out to a restaurant, those kind of encounters with the fans are really special.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) January 31, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n As many heartstrings as they tug on, such homecomings don\u2019t always pan out. But for ATLUTD, this was a blockbuster signing for both head and<\/em> heart, with new coach Ronny Deila deeming Almir\u00f3n well-suited to the assertive, up-tempo game model he\u2019s installing in the Five Stripes.<\/p>\n \u201cMiguel comes with over 200 games in the Premier League; international [duty with] Paraguay. He is going to bring energy to the team. When we assessed the team and what we needed, Miguel checked every box,\u201d said Atlanta\u2019s new chief soccer officer\/sporting director Chris Henderson. \u201cHe’s going to help us pressing; Designated Players in this league come in and they need to make players around them better, and that’s what he does every time he plays.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when Ronny and I had the call with Miguel, you could just feel his love and passion for soccer. He’s a happy guy. He loves to play, and you can see that in the way he plays, and the work that he brings every single day is very contagious for teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) January 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Club president Garth Lagerwey noted that the regard he and Henderson hold for the Paraguayan runs even deeper than his salad days in ATL. Henderson, he explained, first scouted Almir\u00f3n nearly a decade ago, when he and Lagerwey were working together at Seattle Sounders FC<\/a>, who would eventually trade their discovery rights to Atlanta ahead of the then-expansion side\u2019s 2017 MLS debut.<\/p>\n All three of them are now older, wiser and fully aware of both what it takes to win hardware in the league, and how very high the expectations are for this year\u2019s Five Stripes squad.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t think I’ve changed a lot. I think I’m still young. I think I’m still the same Miguel, the same will to compete, the same will to win, but now I’m going to have to work doubly as hard just to repay all the confidence that the team and the fans have in me,\u201d said Almir\u00f3n.<\/p>\n \u201cThe six years that I was in England, that experience helped. I think I’ve matured, and I’ll try to use that experience, I’ll try to bring that to the group here, to try to help the group in the ways that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Much has changed around ATLUTD, who wandered into the wilderness not long after Almir\u00f3n\u2019s departure, with a trophy drought now running beyond five years since their 2019 US Open Cup<\/a> title.<\/p>\n He knows he\u2019s viewed as the star man who can push them over the top, and he\u2019s ready to embrace it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I arrived the first time, I was very happy, also because we were starting a new project. So we felt a great responsibility as players to be a part of that,\u201d said Almir\u00f3n. \u201cBut now here today, I think I’m more happy to be back and to be able to share these moments with my family, but at the same time also with an increased responsibility to help this team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n Premier League-proven<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
“Still the same Miguel”<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n