Thiago Alcántara do Nascimento[1][2] (born 11 April 1991), known simply as Thiago (Spanish: [ˈtjaɣo], Portuguese: [tʃiˈaɡu]), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for German club FC Bayern Munich and the Spanish national team.
Born in Italy to Brazilian parents, his father being former footballer and World Cup champion Mazinho, Thiago joined FC Barcelona aged 14, and made his first team debut in 2009. After winning honours including four La Liga titles, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup for Barcelona, he was signed by Bayern for €25 million in 2013. At Bayern, he has won seven trophies, including the Bundesliga in each of his first three seasons.
After helping Spain to European Championships at under-19 and under-21 levels, he made his full international debut in 2011. He was part of the provisional squad for Spain in the 2014 World Cup but withdrew due to a knee injury. Thiago was selected for UEFA Euro 2016.
Thiago was born in San Pietro Vernotico, Italy, when his father Mazinho (player for the Brazilian national team from 1989 to 1994) was playing for nearby U.S. Lecce. He started at the lower levels of Flamengo in Brazil, and, at the age of five, moved to Spain with his father, and started playing with Galician team Ureca in Nigrán. In 2001, he played with Kelme CF when his father played for Elche CF.[3][4] He returned to Flamengo aged 10 and, in 2005, once again moved back to Spain, signing with FC Barcelona, where his cousin Patrick was also playing.
On 17 May 2009, aged 18, Thiago made his debut for the first team when he came on as a substitute for Eiður Guðjohnsen in the 74th minute at RCD Mallorca for his only appearance of the season. Barcelona, having already won the league, lost 1–2.[6]
On 20 February 2010, after coming on as a substitute for Yaya Touré in the 76th minute, Thiago scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 4–0 home win against Racing de Santander.[7] He scored his third goal against Real Sociedad in a start on 29 April, although Barcelona lost 2–1.[8] He ended the 2010–11 season with 17 games, three goals, and three assists, and was an unused substitute as Barcelona won the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.[9]
Thiago started the 2011–12 season with the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa match against rivals Real Madrid, being substituted for Xavi after 58 minutes, and was an unused substitute as they defeated FC Porto for the 2011 UEFA Super Cup. He then scored in Barcelona’s first La Liga match of the season in a 5–0 home win against Villarreal CF.[10] On 18 December, he started as Barcelona won 4–0 in the Club World Cup Final at International Stadium Yokohama.[11] Thiago also netted Barcelona’s fifth in a 7–0 win against Rayo Vallecano on 29 April from a close-range header.
On 14 July 2013, Thiago signed a four-year deal with Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, for a €25 million fee.[14] Bayern would pay €20 million to Barcelona directly with the remainder being covered by the proceeds of a friendly to be played between the two teams at some point in the following four years and by Thiago foregoing some money owed to him by Barcelona.[15] The transfer came despite a new contract that Barcelona had given Thiago in 2011 which set his release clause at €90 million.[16] Barcelona failed to fulfil clauses in the contract relating to the amount of playing time that Thiago received, and as a result the player’s buy-out clause dropped to €18m.[16]
Thiago made his Bayern debut in a 4–2 defeat to rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 DFL-Supercup on 27 July.[17] He made his debut in the Bundesliga in a 0–1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on 11 August 2013.[18]
On 21 December 2013, he scored his first competitive goal for Bayern Munich, in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup Final against Raja Casablanca of Morocco, sealing the 2–0 win for the German club.[19] On 29 January 2014, he scored his first Bundesliga goal, the scissor-kicked winner in stoppage time against VfB Stuttgart which was voted the Goal of the Month.[20] He also had an assist to Claudio Pizarro for Bayern’s first goal in the 2–1 win.[21] Four days later, in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he set a Bundesliga record with 185 touches of the ball.[22] On 23 February, in a 4–0 win over Hannover 96, Thiago scored his second and last goal of the Bundesliga season.[23] His season ended due to a knee ligament tear against 1899 Hoffenheim six days later,[24] although Bayern went on to win the league and cup.
After over a year out injured, Thiago returned on 4 April 2015, replacing Philipp Lahm for the last 21 minutes of a 1–0 win at Borussia Dortmund.[25] Four days later, he again replaced Lahm in a DFB-Pokal quarter-final at Bayer Leverkusen, scoring the winning goal in the penalty shootout after a goalless draw.[26] On 15 April, he scored in the team’s Champions League quarter-final first leg away to FC Porto, albeit in a 1–3 defeat.[27] Six days later, he headed in Juan Bernat’s cross for the opening goal of a 6–1 rout to overturn the first leg deficit against Porto, helping Bayern advance to the Champions League semi-finals.[28] On 26 April, after VfL Wolfsburg lost to Borussia Mönchengladbach, Thiago won his second Bundesliga title for Bayern.[29]
On 27 August 2015 Thiago signed a new four-year contract with Bayern.
Youth
Thiago preparing a corner kick in an under-21 international, 2011
He participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship with Spain, helping his country to eventual victory in the tournament, and scoring in the final.[31] Thiago was ever-present during Spain’s victorious 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, scoring the second goal of a 2–0 victory with a 40-yard free kick in the final against Switzerland.[32] He was awarded the man of the match of the final.
On 18 June 2013, he scored a hat-trick in the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Final as Spain defeated Italy 4–2 to win their fourth title.[33]
Senior
He made his first appearance for Spain’s senior squad in a friendly against Italy on 10 August 2011, while his first competitive match was on 6 September 2011, in a Euro 2012 qualifying match 6–0 win against Liechtenstein. Due to injury he missed Euro 2012 and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[34]
Thiago was named in Spain’s 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 World Cup on 13 May of that year.[35] However, two days later, he withdrew from the squad due to a knee ligament injury obtained while playing for Bayern in March. Bayern Chief Executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said, “A young man who wanted to come back at the World Cup, and suddenly his dreams are burst. We will take care of him now and make sure he is fit at the start of the season.”[36]
On 2 October 2015, with the team’s place in the tournament already assured, Thiago was re-called by manager Vicente del Bosque for the first time since his injury,[37] and ten days later featured in their 1–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying win away to Ukraine.[38] On October 6, 2017, he scored his first goal for his national team in the 26th minute against Albania in a World Cup qualifier. Álvaro Odriozola sent in a cross from the right side of the box and Thiago buried it into the bottom corner from close range with his head.
