Thiago Alcantara has played for some of the biggest clubs in world football. The midfielder started his career at Barcelona, before joining German champions Bayern Munich in 2013. He is now at Premier League giants, having signed for the English club three years ago.
On top of his domestic performances, Thiago has played 46 times for the Spanish national team. Although both his father and brother played for Brazil, Thiago opted for La Roja.
Having made his first team debut at Barca in 2009 under Pep Guardiola, Thiago was part of one of the greatest eras of the club’s history. He won 10 honours during his time in Spain, but having been in the same squad as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets meant that playing time was limited.
Guardiola left Barcelona in 2012, and became Bayern Munich boss a year later. He identified Thiago as a priority signing for his new club. A deal was agreed with Barca, and the midfield departed for a new adventure in Germany. Speaking to BT Sport, as per Sport, Thiago reveals why he chose to leave Barca at that time.
“I played with a lot of legends at Barca. Then I struggled to play as many minutes as I wanted.
“Pep Guardiola left the club and signed for Bayern. He asked me what was wrong with me. Bayern’s decisive motive was: ‘I need minutes, I have to play.'”
The 31-year-old has had a great career so far, and will hope to add to this 29 major honours during the remainder of his time on Merseyside.
