Atlanta United announced the signing of midfielder Miguel Almirón from Newcastle United of the English Premier League to a contract through the 2027 MLS season with an option for 2028 on Jan. 30, 2025. Almirón occupies a Designated Player and international roster spot. Atlanta acquired Almirón’s Discovery Priority from Charlotte FC in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money ($325,000 in 2025 and $75,000 in 2026).
Almirón started all 31 of his MLS appearances in 2025 and led the team with 13 goal contributions, scoring six goals and adding seven assists while serving as the captain during the second half of the season. He previously joined Atlanta prior to the club’s inaugural season in 2017 where he was a two-time MLS Best XI selection, two-time finalist for the Landon Donovan MVP award, two-time MLS All-Star and the 2017 MLS Newcomer of the Year. After helping lead the club to the 2018 MLS Cup title, he transferred to Newcastle in January of 2019 for a then-MLS record transfer fee.
During his six seasons with Newcastle, the Paraguayan international made 223 appearances in all competitions, recording 30 goals and 22 assists, including 23 goals in 186 Premier League appearances and one goal in six UEFA Champions League appearances. Almirón made 10 Premier League appearances in 2019 after arriving mid-season and went on to make at least 30 league appearances in each of his five full seasons in England. He enjoyed his best year on both an individual and team level during the 2022-23 season when he recorded 11 goals and two assists in 34 Premier League appearances as Newcastle finished fourth and qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Almirón was named Premier League Player of the Month for October 2022 after scoring six goals in six matches, including the Premier League Goal of the Month against Fulham on Oct. 1. The following season, he made his Champions League debut against AC Milan on Sept. 19, 2023 and scored his first goal in his first start in the competition the following match, a 4-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain on Oct. 4, 2023.
In two seasons in Atlanta, Almirón appeared in 70 matches across all competitions and scored 22 goals with 30 assists. He was one of only two players to be selected to the MLS Best XI in both 2017 and 2018 alongside teammate Josef Martínez, and the only player in the league to be named a finalist for the MVP award in each season. During the club’s inaugural 2017 season, Almirón scored nine goals and added a team-high 14 assists. In 2018, Almirón scored a career-high 12 goals and added 14 assists. The midfielder added a goal and two assists during the playoffs as Atlanta went on to win the 2018 MLS Cup in front of a record crowd of 73,019 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Born in Asunción, Paraguay, Almirón progressed through the youth system at Cerro Porteño and made his professional debut with the club on March 10, 2013. He appeared in 39 games and scored six goals during his three-year spell with the club from 2013-2015. He joined Club Atlético Lanús of Argentina’s top division in August of 2015 and in 2016 helped lead the club to its second-ever league title. Almirón started and scored in the final against San Lorenzo, leading Lanús to a 4-0 win. In total, he tallied four goals and five assists in 45 appearances in all competitions before making the move to MLS.
International: Almirón has made 73 appearances for Paraguay and recorded nine goals and seven assists since his debut on Sept. 9, 2015. Paraguay’s No. 10 helped the nation qualify for its first FIFA World Cup since 2010, playing in 15 of 18 matches in CONMEBOL’s qualification cycle for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He captained Paraguay for the first time in a friendly against Japan on June 2, 2022 and most recently on Nov. 19, 2025 in a friendly against Mexico.
2025 (Atlanta United): MLS: Started all 31 of his appearances and recorded six goals and seven assists to lead the team with 13 goal contributions. Leagues Cup: Started two matches
2017 (Atlanta United): Almirón scored nine goals and added a team-high 14 assists in his first MLS season, as the Paraguayan playmaker was at the center of an Atlanta attack that finished second in MLS with 70 goals scored. Almirón was voted an MLS All-Star, was a finalist for the 2017 MLS MVP and won MLS Newcomer of the Year. He was named the No. 1 player on MLS’ 24 under 24 list in 2017. Two-time MLS Player of the Week. Named to MLS Team of the Week seven times and won MLS Goal of the Week on three occasions. Played in 30 matches and made 27 starts. MLS Cup Playoffs: Played all 120 minutes against Columbus. US Open Cup: Played 90 minutes in 3-2 win over Columbus on June 14.
2016 (Lanús): Almiron led Lanús to two major championships, including just their second-ever Primera Division title during the shortened 2016 campaign. During that season, Almirón appeared in 13 games and scored three goals to lead Lanús to the top of the table. Almirón started and scored in the final, leading Lanús to a 4-0 win over San Lorenzo (May 29), which featured current Atlanta United teammate Hector “Tito” Villalba. In August, Almirón led Lanús to their second championship of the calendar year during a 1-0 win over Racing Club in the 2016 Copa Bicentenario. During his career at Lanús, Almirón scored a total of four goals in 35 league matches and 10 cup matches.
2015 (Lanús): Almirón transferred to Lanús in August of 2015 and made his debut September 14 against Banfield. He scored his first goal for Lanús against Belgrano (Sept. 18) in a 5-1 victory in the Copa Sudamericana. In his first season with Lanús, Almirón made 14 combined appearances and scored one goal while registering two assists.
2015 (Cerro Porteño): Almirón registered a career-high five goals in just 19 games as he helped Cerro Porteño capture the Primera Division Torneo Apertura Championship and a second place finish in the Torneo Clausura.
2014 (Cerro Porteño): He appeared in 14 matches and made 11 starts.
2013 (Cerro Porteño): Almirón made his professional debut on March 10. He appeared in six matches and scored his first goal against Rubio Nu (April 19).
