Thiago won seven Bundesliga titles, four DFB Cups and the 2020 Champions League with Bayern, but above all the midfielder showed us how wonderful football can be. Now 33, he has announced his retirement from football. As Thiago bows out from the game, we have six reasons why we will forever love and remember our former No.6.
#1 Insatiable hunger for titles
Thiago amassed a total of 17 winner’s medals during his seven years in Munich. He claimed a clean sweep of Bundesliga titles, as well as four DFB Cups, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup and more. The former midfielder is a winner through and through. He was victorious in 78 percent of his Bundesliga appearances.
#2 Unrivalled feel for the ball
There aren’t many better ways to score a first Bundesliga goal than Thiago did in January 2014. It was the third minute of added time in Stuttgart on Matchday 17 of 2013/14, with the score tied at 1-1. A cross from Rafinha then made its way towards the midfielder in the box. Thiago took flight, almost horizontal in the air before putting his overhead kick into the bottom right corner. It was just a taste for Bayern fans of the levels of skill and brilliance they would see over the following six years.
#3 Tireless fighting spirit
The Spain international wasn’t just an artist on the ball but was also never afraid to get stuck in. He would throw himself into tackles to win back possession, winning 58 percent of his duels in the Bundesliga during the 2019/20 treble-winning season – the most of any Bayern midfielder. You can see Thiago’s fighting spirit in the video below.
#4 Passionate rhythm
It’s always a cliché to say that people with Brazilian roots have samba in their DNA, but it’s a fact that’s hard to ignore with Thiago. He didn’t just provide the rhythm and beat in Bayern’s midfield but also had a remarkable feeling for how to control the tempo and where the game was played. There was a Bundesliga game in Mainz where he dribbled through the opposition defence before finishing into the far corner. Bayern fans voted in their thousands to name it the club’s Goal of the Month for February 2020.
Watch Thiago’s iconic goal in Mainz here:
#5 The focal point
Thiago was always the control centre and heartbeat of Bayern’s play. He was almost always available for a pass and would regularly surpass 100 touches in games. When there was action on the pitch, Thiago was normally in the thick of it and making his mark. Not always just spectacular and striking, but strikingly good.
#6 Role model
It wasn’t just his qualities on the ball that endeared Thiago to the Bayern family but also his remarkable character. The Spaniard speaks excellent German from his time in Munich and would always help new Spanish or Portuguese-speaking players to settle into the squad. And Thiago’s work wasn’t just confined to football pitches. His Alcantara Family Foundation supports numerous social projects, while he was always available to the youngest fans as a Kids Club captain.
Thank you for everything, Thiago!
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