Thiago Alcantara Spanish footballer, midfielder Date of Birth: 11.04.1991 Country: Spain

1. Early Life and Family
2. Club Career
3. Bayern Munich
4. International Career

Early Life and Family

Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento was born on April 11, 1991, in San Pietro Vernotico, Italy, to Brazilian footballer Mazinho and former volleyball player Valéria Alcântara. His younger brother, Rafinha Alcântara, is also a footballer for Barcelona, while his cousin, Rodrigo Moreno, plays for Valencia.

Club Career

In 2005, at the age of 14, Thiago joined the youth system of Barcelona. After progressing through the various youth teams, he was promoted to the reserve team for the 2008/09 season, where he made 25 appearances. Thiago made his debut for Barcelona's first team on May 17, 2009, in a match against Mallorca.

The midfielder continued to play for Barcelona B in the 2009/10 season, making 18 appearances. He also featured in two matches for the first team that season, scoring his first goal for the club against Racing Santander on February 20, 2010.

In the 2010/11 season, Thiago became a regular starter for Barcelona, making 17 appearances for the first team. He signed a new contract with the club on June 29, 2011, that ran until June 30, 2015, with a buyout clause of €30 million.

Under manager Pep Guardiola in the 2011/12 season, Thiago became a key member of Barcelona's starting lineup. He made 45 appearances and scored 4 goals in all competitions, helping the team win the UEFA Super Cup, the Supercopa de España, and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Thiago featured in fewer matches the following season, making 36 appearances and scoring three goals, largely due to an injury. He still assisted the team in winning the La Liga title in the 2012/13 season.

Bayern Munich

On July 14, 2013, Bayern Munich announced on Twitter that they had agreed on a transfer fee with Barcelona for Thiago. The transfer cost Bayern €20 million. Manchester United and Real Madrid had also been interested in signing the promising midfielder, but Thiago opted for Bayern Munich because he wanted to continue playing under Pep Guardiola.

International Career

Thiago was called up to the Spain national team for a friendly match against Italy on August 10, 2011, by then-manager Vicente del Bosque. The match ended in a 1-2 defeat for Spain.

He represented Spain at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. In the final against Italy, Spain won 4-2, with Thiago scoring a hat-trick.

Thiago has continued to play for the Spain national team, making 46 appearances and scoring 2 goals. He represented Spain at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2016 UEFA European Championship, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.