Atlanta United star Thiago Almada joins Argentina World Cup squad as injury replacement

It's official: Thiago Almada is going to the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.

The Atlanta United playmaker was initially left out of Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man squad, despite having recently broken into the setup to earn his first senior cap in a friendly against Honduras in September.

However, Almada was kept on standby in case any of the 26 players needed replacing and, in the end, he and Atletico Madrid winger Angel Correa were called in after Nicolas Gonzalez (Fiorentina) and Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan) both went down with injuries.

The call-up is the perfect reward for Almada following an excellent debut season in Major League Soccer. Despite Atlanta United finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference and failing to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, Almada still managed six goals and seven primary assists in 29 appearances, often proving the silver lining on what was a dismal campaign for the Five Stripes.

Almada - who is Major League Soccer's most expensive incoming player at $16m - will now join the likes of Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, and Lautaro Martinez on an Argentine roster that is highly fancied to go all the way and win the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

La Albiceleste begin their campaign against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before facing Mexico on November 26, and Poland on November 30.

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