Flying on Lionel Messi’s private jet & delaying shirt swap request – Thiago Almada lifts the lid on experiences with fellow MLS & Argentina star

The 22-year-old playmaker formed part of the Albiceleste’s triumphant World Cup squad at Qatar 2022. He was able to rub shoulders with Messi there, while both are now playing their club football in MLS – at Atlanta United and Inter Miami respectively.

Seeing Messi move to the United States has its perks for Almada, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner making journeys back to Argentina easier for his fellow countrymen. Almada has told Ole of using Messi’s private jet: “It was only once, [Inter Miami star Facundo] Farias was there too. I travelled to Miami and the three of us travelled on his plane.”

Almada now feels more comfortable in Messi’s company, but added on waiting until he faced the all-time great in MLS action before asking for his shirt: “I had never asked him. I was waiting to face him to ask him because here in the national team I didn't want to bother him with that. I met him when I was in the U20 team and I had to be a sparring partner for the seniors. Imagine, for us who were kids, it was crazy to have him there. We watched him train... he's a phenomenon, a crack. But for me, apart from being the best in the world, he's a normal person, because that's how he is, you can talk to him.”

Almada will be hoping to cross Messi’s path again on a regular basis in 2024, with the pair readying themselves for a return to domestic action in MLS while also counting down the days to the defence of a Copa America crown – which will also take place on American soil.