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Jeff Carlisle
Multiple Authors
Atlanta United has reached an agreement with Brazilian Serie A club Botafogo concerning unpaid fees linked to midfielder Thiago Almada, as announced by the MLS team on Friday.
Almada moved to Botafogo for a fee of $21 million in the summer of 2024.
However, when Botafogo transferred Almada to Atlético Madrid last July, they had not made two $3 million installment payments owed to Atlanta, nor settled the interest on the original transfer. Atlanta brought the matter to FIFA, which mandated that Botafogo pay the owed amount in full.
Following this, Botafogo and owner John Textor appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which maintained FIFA’s decision. With payment still outstanding, FIFA imposed a transfer ban on Botafogo for three windows in December 2025.
“We have reached a settlement with Botafogo regarding Thiago Almada’s 2024 transfer,” Atlanta United confirmed in a statement. “Atlanta United was successful in both the FIFA Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which confirmed the terms of the 2024 Transfer Agreement.”
The statement continued, “We can now confirm that Botafogo will pay the full transfer fee, along with interest, as part of this settlement. We appreciate the rulings from FIFA and CAS, which uphold standards that foster a fair and sustainable international transfer market.”
Almada, who was part of the World Cup-winning Argentina team in 2022, made 77 appearances and netted 23 goals for Atlanta between 2022 and 2024 before his record-setting transfer to Botafogo. The 24-year-old forward is currently with Atlético Madrid, marking his fourth different club in just over a year. Almada had a brief six-month stint at Botafogo before being loaned to Lyon, a French club also owned by Textor.