Miguel Almiron: “I’m very happy to be here”

Miguel Almiron is officially back at Atlanta United after receiving an extremely warm welcome by the 17’s at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport last night. He was reintroduced to the media on Friday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he spoke for a bit about his time over at Newcastle United and what it means to return back to the city that fell in love with him.

“First, I’m very grateful to everyone at the club for what they’ve done, for the effort to bring me back,” Almiron said. “From the very first moment that I found out that this situation was a possibility, I didn’t doubt it for a second. I’m very happy to be here.”

Atlanta United President and CEO Garth Lagerwey opened the press conference discussing how his first taste of the city’s love for Miggy came during the 2023 Premier League Summer Series when Newcastle played Chelsea in a friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Magpies were down 1-0 until first-half stoppage time when Almiron scored the equalizer with a low, left-footed strike that sent his former (and future) stomping grounds into rapture.

“Spontaneously, the whole stadium stood up and just started applauding like crazy, and I was like, ‘I didn’t realize we had a rooting interest here!'” Lagerwey said. “I was sitting next to Darren Eales at the time and he was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is what it’s always like.'”

Miggy’s return comes at the end of a highly publicized transfer saga that actually began with interest from Charlotte FC. Lagerwey told Scarves and Spikes that at one point after Charlotte’s initial talks, the Charlotte front office asked if they’d be interested in trying to acquire Almiron through the discovery rights process. Chris Henderson and Garth Lagerwey knew they wanted to go after Miggy, but until that point, conversations hadn’t started.

“Chris actually scouted Miguel back in 2016 before Atlanta United ever acquired him, but we traded those discovery rights to Atlanta,” said Lagerwey. He explained that one of the first conversations Henderson had with him was in reference to trying to bring Miggy back to Atlanta, to which the Paraguayan smiled and responded, “Thank you.”

Miggy landed in Atlanta on Thursday night and walked out into the Hartsfield-Jackson International arrivals terminal to a crowd of 17s holding posters and chanting his name. Although he had just gotten off an almost 10-hour flight across the pond, Almiron stopped to sign autographs, take pictures and reconnect with a fanbase that never stopped loving him.

“I didn’t expect it,” Almiron said. “But I was very happy, especially now that I have my son and my family, so they were there with me to experience that moment.

“I’m always very grateful for the fans in Atlanta, and not just for last night, but from when I arrived the first time back when not a lot of people knew who I was. The support from the beginning has always been there and so I’m very grateful for that.”

Miggy returns to an Atlanta United that is very different from the one he left six years ago. The only remaining teammate from that time is goalkeeper and captain Brad Guzan and he has a new head coach to play under in Ronny Deila. Although the team has changed a lot, he said that he feels he has mostly stayed the same.

“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,” Almiron said.

Regardless, he admitted to having higher expectations of himself, especially coming from the English Premier League, one of the best soccer leagues in the world. He said that returning to Atlanta brings new goals and challenges but that he is going to learn a lot from his teammates and help in any way he can.

Another thing that has changed since he last played for the Five Stripes is that he’s a father. He and his wife, Alexia Notto, welcomed their son Francesco in June 2021. Miggy said he is happy that he will get to share the thrills and joys of playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium with his son.

“I think it would have been beautiful for my son to experience some of those moments, but now that I’m here, I’m calm. I have to start training with the team and keep working every day so we can get more of those moments,” Almiron said.

To wrap up the presser, Miggy helped some of the club staff move the tables and chairs out of the way for a photo op in which Garth Lagerwey unfurled an original 2017 “Almiron 10” jersey. It was clear from the way his eyes lit up on seeing it that he was excited to be back.

Although it’s highly unlikely that he will be involved in tomorrow’s preseason friendly at Birmingham Legion, fans will probably see him back on the pitch for the season opener against CF Montreal on Feb 22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.