Almirón made his international debut for Paraguay in 2015, and represented the country at the Copa América in 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024.
Early life
Almirón was born into an
impoverished family in the San Pablo neighborhood of Asunción, where his father Ruben worked 18-hour shifts as a security guard and his mother Sonia worked in a supermarket.[4][5] He trained with Club 3 de Noviembre from the age of seven and trialed with other teams but was considered "too frail" by his coaches to become a professional footballer.[5] The seven members of his household slept in three bedrooms, and he had to share a bed with his mother until he was 18.[6][7]
Club career
Cerro Porteño
Rejected from Club Nacional for being too lightweight, Almirón moved to Cerro Porteño. His new club still had reservations about his physique, and he did not play regularly until he was on their under-17 side.[7]
On 5 December 2016, Almirón signed with the new Major League Soccer expansion team Atlanta United FC.[12] He joined as a "Young Designated Player"[13] and Atlanta paid a transfer fee of around $8 million to Lanús.[14]
Almirón was an important figure in Atlanta United's first season, described as the "heartbeat" of the team by veteran teammate Jeff Larentowicz.[15] On 12 March, Almirón scored his first goals for the club, notching a brace in the club's second game, a 6–1 victory over fellow MLS newcomers Minnesota United FC.[16] He scored the second hat-trick in club history on 20 May against the Houston Dynamo, and scored two goals a week later against New York City FC.[17] Almirón joined teammates Greg Garza and Michael Parkhurst in the MLS All-Star Game on 2 August,[18] and topped the league's list of 24 players under the age of 24, released on 28 September.[19] During the regular season, Almirón was named to seven Teams of the Week by Major League Soccer, and was named Player of the Week twice.[20][21][22] At the end of the season, he was named to the league's Best XI[23] and was named Newcomer of the Year.[24]
In April 2018, Almirón was named MLS Player of the Month for his five goals and two assists as Atlanta went unbeaten with three wins and a draw.[25] With 12 goals and 14 assists, he was again named in the MLS Best XI, alongside teammate Josef Martínez.[26] Atlanta won MLS Cup 2018 against the Portland Timbers in only their second season of existence, and Almirón was named in the Team of the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.[27]
On 31 January 2019, Almirón joined Premier League side Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee on a five-and-a-half-year deal.[28] The transfer fee is believed to be around £21 million, at the time, a club record fee,[29] and a record for an MLS player. He made his Premier League debut on 11 February in a 1–1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing the final 18 minutes in place of Christian Atsu.[30] Fans and media likened Almirón to Santiago Muñez, a fictional Newcastle player from the film Goal! who also originated from Latin America and moved to St James' Park via the United States.[31][32][6] During a match against Southampton on 20 April, he was tackled by Oriol Romeu and suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.[33] Almirón struggled to score in his first months with Newcastle, but helped his side to avoid relegation.[34] After registering a total of 40 shots with no goals, he scored his first Premier League goal on 21 December in a 1–0 victory over Crystal Palace.[35] He finished the season with a club-best eight goals in all competitions.[36]
On 6 February 2021, Almirón scored twice in a 3–2 home win over Southampton, a game in which he ran 11.29 km, the most on his team. He had then scored four goals in his last 12 Premier League games, the same as he scored in the 55 before that.[37]
On 21 August 2022, Almirón broke a goal-scoring drought by scoring an equalizer against Manchester City, following a cross from Newcastle teammate Allan Saint-Maximin.[38] In October, Almirón scored six goals in six matches, with two goals against Fulham,[39] and one each against Brentford,[40]Everton,[41]Tottenham Hotspur[42] and Aston Villa, reaching seven Premier League goals for the season, the most in his time in the Premier League.[43] Following that success, he won Premier League Player of the Month for October 2022 and Premier League Goal of the Month for his first-half goal against Fulham.[44][45] On 6 November, Almirón continued his scoring run with the opening goal against Southampton in a 4–1 victory, scoring his seventh goal in as many games, one more than in his previous 74 Premier League appearances.[46] The next weekend against Chelsea, his scoring run came to an end, but he assisted Joe Willock for the only goal of the game.[47]
On 24 February 2023, Almirón signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[48]
On October 4 of the same year, in his second match, Miguel Almirón scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League,[49] simultaneously becoming the ninth Paraguayan player to score at least one goal in that competition.[50][51] In that match, Almirón was included in the starting eleven and made his mark on the scoreboard after 17 minutes. Following a save by Gianluigi Donnarumma, Almirón seized the rebound on the right wing and, with a shot from his dominant foot, scored a goal that put Newcastle United ahead 1-0 against Paris Saint-Germain.[52] The final result of the match was a 4-1 victory for his team,[53] with Miguel Almirón being named the standout player.[54] His goal has been celebrated as a historic milestone, marking his team’s return to the scoreboard in the competition after a 20-year hiatus.[55]Alan Shearer was the last to score for his team in the UEFA Champions League in 2003, in a match against Inter Milan that ended in a 2-2 draw.[54][56][57]
On 5 September 2015, Almirón made his senior international debut in a 3–2 friendly loss away to Chile, playing the final nine minutes in place of Jonathan Fabbro.[61] Manager Ramón Díaz called him up the following May for the Copa América Centenario in the United States, where he started two matches in a group-stage exit.[62]
In March 2019, in a friendly against Mexico at Levi's Stadium, Almirón came on as a substitute. Seven minutes later, he received a straight red card for a foul on José Juan Vázquez in which he dragged his studs down the back of the opponent's leg.[63] On 10 October the same year, he was sent off for diving in a 1–0 friendly loss to Serbia.[64]
Personal life
Miguel Almirón was born on 10 February 1994, in Asunción, Paraguay. He grew up in the San Pablo neighborhood in a family environment marked by economic constraints.[65] His father, Rubén Almirón, worked 18-hour shifts as a security guard, while his mother, Sonia Rejala, worked at a supermarket.[65] The house shared by the seven family members had only three bedrooms, which meant that Almirón had to share a bed with his mother until he was 18.[66] For much of his childhood, he lived with his grandparents.[65] Almirón is Catholic, as evidenced by two religious quotes tattooed on his arms.[67] He married his high school sweetheart, Alexia Notto, who is a dancer, Zumba instructor, and influencer.[68] The marriage took place on 29 August 2016,[69] and on 6 June 2021, they welcomed their first child, Francesco.[70]
In late November 2022, Almirón was accused on social media of allegedly ordering the destruction of parrot nests on a property he acquired in Asunción.[71] However, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Mades) of Paraguay clarified that Almirón had complied with all recommendations and that no nests were destroyed or birds harmed.[72]
