From Almería Flops to Portuguese Hotshots: The Ex-Rojiblancos Running Riot in the Primeira Liga
Several former UD Almería players are among the top scorers in Portugal's Primeira Liga — and some of their stories are genuinely mad.
If you fancy a bit of a rabbit down the rabbit hole, have a gander at the Portuguese top flight right now. It’s absolutely riddled with ex-Almería players — and a fair few of them are balling.
Luis Suárez: The One That Got Away (And Boy, Did He Go)
Let’s start with the big one. Luis Suárez — not that Luis Suárez, calm down — is absolutely tearing it up for Sporting CP. Twenty goals in 22 games puts him joint-top of the Primeira Liga scoring charts alongside Benfica’s Pavlidis. He’s the most recent ex-rojiblanco on this list too, and Almería reportedly retain a financial interest in any future big-money transfer. So at least the club might see some of the upside, even if they’re watching from the Segunda División.
The Redemption Arc: Schettine
Now here’s where it gets properly interesting. Guilherme Schettine arrived at Almería on loan from Braga in the January 2021 window and was, by all accounts, a bit of a disaster. Half a season, barely a sniff. One of those signings you forget almost immediately.
Fast forward to this season, and the Brazilian had been banging them in for Moreirense — nine goals in 15 games before he shipped off to Chinese side Tianjin Jinmen in January. For context, that’s only four fewer than Samu Omorodion had managed before his serious injury. Mad, innit.
Marezi’s Portuguese Glow-Up
- Marko Milovanović — known as Marezi during his Almería days — was signed for €3.5 million from Partizan back in July 2022
- Never really nailed it at the club, struggled to hit the levels expected
- Currently on loan at Alverca until the end of the season
- Has already chipped in with seven goals, sitting 13th in the scoring charts
- Sometimes a change of scenery is all a player needs, simple as
João Carvalho and the Quiet Ones
Estoril Praia’s João Carvalho is another familiar face. The midfielder — who came through on loan from Nottingham Forest in 2020/21 and left decent enough memories — has six goals this season, enough to put him in the top 15 scorers in Portugal. He’s level with Pau Víctor, the ex-Barça man, which is a fun little footnote.
Local Boy Done Good: Iván Barbero
Perhaps the most sentimental name on the list is Iván Barbero — an Almería lad, through and through, who came up through the club’s academy. He had a stint with the first team in the second half of 2019/20 after arriving on loan from Osasuna, and now he’s at Arouca in Portugal with five goals to his name, putting him in the top 20 scorers in the league.
One For the Connections Nerds
As a little bonus tidbit: Ricardo Horta — brother of current Almería midfielder André Horta — is the third top scorer in the Primeira Liga this season with 13 goals. Small world, this football lark.
The overall picture is a strange one. A club fighting for relevance in Spain’s second tier, while a whole convoy of their former players are thriving across the border. Whether that says more about Portugal’s league or Almería’s recent struggles is probably a conversation worth having.