When Thiago Almada was announced as a new Designated Player for Atlanta United, the task was simple: make the long-awaited signing announcement one that the 17s would remember fondly.
While we were with the team in Guadalajara, Mexico, Thiago traveled from Buenos Aires to link up with the team for preseason the ninth of February, 2022. As soon as he came to the hotel from the airport, I sat down with him to draft a letter which was going to become a farewell and appreciation for Vélez Sarsfield, his club in Argentina, and a welcome to the Atlanta United faithful who was waiting for him for months.
Once it was announced that Thiago was leaving the club to join Brazilian side Botafogo, and later French powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais, in July 2024, I remembered what we had done two years prior, and again sat down with him following his last match for the club. Not only we had him read the letter in this second video, but we did it on the pitch of Mercedes-Benz Stadium where he made 45 thousand scream every single weekend until then.
With this second letter, I tried to connect both his beginnings with the club and his last time stepping onto our home pitch.
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