After scoring eight goals in 14 Premier League games this season, Newcastle United’s attacking playmaker from Paraguay appears in the running for all sorts of awards next spring, but it has been just over a decade since Almiron accepted to collects supermarket trolleys in crowded San Pablo, Asuncion. barrio. His coaches had informed him that he was “too weak” to make the grade as a professional footballer and he decided to start again at the bottom of the retail trade. “My parents banned me,” says the 28-year-old, who would eventually earn a lucrative contract with MLS Atlanta in the United States before joining Newcastle for a then record £21 million in January 2019. “They told me to stay with football”. Almirón never wanted to give up the game, but simply felt a responsibility to bring money into the modest home he shared with his mother, a supermarket worker, and father, a security guard. This sense of obligation to pull his weight and give something back is, in many ways, the essence of Almirón’s character – and his football. If his anointing as Newcastle’s latest ‘Angel of the North’ has been confirmed by a string of spectacular goals highlighted by his stunning first-time volley at Fulham in early October, he remains as much a tireless industry as an inspiration. That combination has made him one of the catalysts in Newcastle’s rise to third place heading into Saturday’s home game against Chelsea. Almirón has mocked Jack Grealish’s comments at the end of last season. Photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images Typically, Almirón never complained about being placed on the right of a front three instead of his preferred role as a classic No. 10 or trequartista floating behind a centre-forward. “Football is not all about skill and ability, it’s about working hard,” he said shortly after arriving on Tyneside. “And especially not in the Premier League, where the pace is so high. To succeed, you have to make a change.” Even his harshest critic during those long months when Almirón couldn’t buy a goal never accused him of being shy. Despite failing to score in half a season under Rafael Benitez, the Spaniard’s 3-4-3 system showcased his perpetual, kaleidoscopic movement to impressive effect and created plenty of openings for Salomón Rondón and Ayoze Pérez. Although he finally broke that scoring streak in December 2019, Almirón’s game declined under Benítez’s successor, Steve Bruce. However, if a chronic lack of goals and assists privately frustrated Howe’s predecessor, Bruce admired ‘Miggy’ immensely. Indeed, it is impossible to dislike a player who, having been consoled by a ballboy after a particularly glaring miss, invited him to spend a day at Newcastle’s training ground as his guest. “In 20 years in management, I’ve never seen anyone go the distance and play with the industry that Miggy does,” says Bruce. Eddie Howe, Bruce’s more attacking successor, demanded goals as well as elbow grease and regularly left Almiron on the bench during his first spell at Newcastle, preferring to offer Ryan Fraser a starting berth. “As much as we love what Miggy brings to the team, he will be judged on goals and assists,” Howe said. “And there wasn’t enough of either.” As recently as last spring, a quiet consensus emerged that Almirón would almost certainly be moved in the summer, most likely to Spain. If Fraser hadn’t pulled his hamstring in mid-April, he might well have been gone, and the winger’s injury opened a void that Almiron never vacated. When, at the end of last season, Manchester City’s Jack Grealish made dumb comments mocking the Paraguayan’s supposed inadequacies, there was great anger in the corridors of St James’ Park that are often lit up by Almirón’s 100-watt smile. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. By then Howe and his assistant, Jason Tydall, were on a joint mission to unlock a talent Benitez had long wanted to coach. It helped that Almiron wanted to listen. A devout Christian whose left arm is adorned with a tattoo depicting a football surrounded by the message “El Tiempo de Dios es Perfecto” (God’s time is perfect) and has a biblical quote (John 14:6 “I “I am the way, the truth, the life”) inked on the inside of his right wrist, he readily accepted that he needed more than divine guidance. Surrounded by housing and light industrial estates, Newcastle’s north Tyneside training ground is not, from the outside, the most refreshing of places, but Almirón ran every morning inspired by Howe and Tindall’s willingness to work “overtime” improving his game . Along the way he studied a number of video compilations of the world’s best strikers, including England’s Raheem Sterling, while also spending hours perfecting his finishing. Miguel Almirón gives his shirt to a Newcastle fan whose sign mentions Jack Grealish. Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images Almirón heeded Howe’s advice that, as good as he was at pressing, tracking back and maintaining positional discipline out of possession, he needed to do much more with a superb change of pace and excellent technical skills. Significantly, the Newcastle manager resisted the temptation to over-coach Almiron, but instead offered a hitherto seemingly stymied playmaker considerable freedom within the team’s 4-3-3 formation. “Miggy is scoring a lot of spectacular goals, which I certainly didn’t expect, but I don’t think he’s really changed – he’s just got confidence now,” says Howe. “It is important that Miggy continues to enjoy his football and feel free. He should not overanalyze himself. He is at his best when he plays to his strengths. when he’s all action, high energy and covering every blade of grass.” Tellingly, Almiron’s transformation has coincided with the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon, with the pair developing real telepathy, on and off the pitch. Another Brazilian, Joelinton, is a friend and neighbor in the Northumberland parish of Ponteland, where Almirón, his gymnast wife and their one-year-old son are so happy he claims to be enjoying the northeast weather. “I like the cold,” he says. “I like snow.” If only Howe could clone him. “Miggy’s attitude is great and extremely contagious,” he says. “It gives us a different dimension.”
