According to Argentine media TN, River Plate defender Otamendi revealed how he convinced Thiago Almada to return to Argentina from Atlético Madrid and join River Plate.

In the fourth round of the Argentine Spring League, River Plate lost 0-1 away to Tigre, with Ignacio Russo scoring the winning goal. After the match, Otamendi discussed several topics in an interview, including his role in persuading Thiago Almada to return to Argentina. River Plate has now suffered six consecutive defeats, and the team knows that Almada's arrival is crucial to turning things around.

"I'm very happy. I worked hard to convince him to join River Plate. To be honest, he will help us a lot," admitted the Argentine national team defender. However, he quickly turned the conversation to the match itself: "But today is not the time to talk about this. I need to control my temper now and try to turn things around."

Thiago Almada made 40 appearances for Atlético Madrid last season, contributing 4 goals and 2 assists. Although his European journey had just begun after leaving Lyon, he ultimately chose to return to Argentina, becoming the most expensive transfer in Argentine football history.

In River Plate's away loss, there was also a controversial refereeing decision—Ángel Correa was fouled in the Tigre penalty area, but neither the referee nor VAR awarded a penalty. Otamendi could not contain his frustration after the match, and his comments quickly spread online.

"Referees always complain that we shouldn't talk about them, saying we should respect them, but they never admit their own mistakes. They don't call our fouls; they give us nothing," complained the former Benfica defender. He directly pointed to the incident involving Correa: "In my opinion, that was clearly a penalty, but it seems that neither the referee nor VAR is fit to work in such a competition."

In the end, Tigre secured all three points at home, while River Plate, despite their best efforts to equalize, left empty-handed.

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