Thiago Alcántara left a bittersweet taste in his time with the FC Barcelona first team. The man from San Pietro Vernotico (Italy) played two seasons in which he emerged as a very valuable player for the club in the medium and long term, but in the summer of 2013 he opted to leave for Bayern Munich in exchange for 25 million euros. Almost a decade later, the midfielder explained to 'BT Sports' the reason for his departure.
"I played with many legends at Barça. So it was difficult for me to play as many minutes as I wanted," said the 31-year-old today. Thiago made the leap to the first team in the summer of 2011 after going through the different categories of La Masia and the subsidiary. With 11 goals and 20 assists in 101 official appearances, the Bavarians did not hesitate to sign him just when Pep Guardiola took over the leadership of the then brand new European champion.
In his first talk with the ex coach, Alcántara did not hesitate to come clean. "Pep asked me what was wrong with me. I replied 'I need minutes, I have to play'", commented the Spanish-Brazilian. Finally, Thiago stayed in Munich until September 2020, when he decided to go to Liverpool after achieving his great goal, winning the Champions League with the Bavarians, as well as lifting another 16 trophies, including the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
"I saw a great challenge at Bayern. They won the Champions League, I wanted to do the same!" he explained. The midfielder had shared with the culé squad that won the 'orejona' at Wembley in 2011, but he was not registered. Finally, at Barça he managed to win 7 titles, including the 100-point LaLiga in 2013, just before leaving, as well as the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.
Busquets, Thiago's main obstacle
Despite his quality, Alcántara knew that he had little chance of displacing Sergio Busquets in midfield. The '5' was untouchable along with Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta, so the current Liverpool player chose to leave the club of his life in search of greater continuity. It wasn't bad for him, since he became a starter at Bayern, winning everything. With Spain he had less luck, playing two Euro Cups (2016, 2020) and a World Cup (2018) with little prominence.