Miguel Almirón

Miguel Almirón joined Atlanta United on a multi-year contract on Dec. 5, 2016, becoming the second Designated Player in team history. He recorded nine goals and 14 assists in his first season in MLS and was named MLS Newcomer of the Year, as well as a finalist for Most Valuable Player. Almirón was also named a 2017 MLS All-Star and the No. 1 player on MLS’ 24 under 24 list in 2017. Before joining Atlanta, the 23-year-old Paraguayan international had spent his career between the top flights of the Paraguayan and Argentine leagues. Almirón started his career with Paraguayan power Cerro Porteño, signing with the club at 14 years old. He transferred to Lanús in the Argentine first division in 2015 and helped lead the team to the 2016 league title.  Almirón has been a fixture in Paraguay’s National Team camp, making 10 combined appearances in 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying and the 2016 Copa America Centenario.

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).

INTERNATIONAL: Almirón has been a fixture for Paraguay since making his national team debut in a Friendly against Chile on Sept. 5, 2015. He has 10 appearances for La Albirroja and featured in both the 2016 Copa America Centenario and Paraguay’s 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.