Bayern Munich star Announces Shock Retirement

A former FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich star has retired from football as reported exclusively by transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, who cited anonymous sources.

“Thiago Alcantara has decided to retire from professional football. [The] former Barca, Bayern, Liverpool and Spain player has made his decision,” tweeted Romano.

“Thiago’s passion and love for the game continues as he’s ready for new chapter in football after few months planning for it,” the Italian added.

Thiago was born in Italy to Brazilian parents, with his father Mazinho a USA ’94 World Cup winner for the Selecao.

After spells at the Flamengo academy in Rio de Janeiro, the last of which ran from 2001 to 2005, he joined Barca’s famed La Masia set up in the latter mentioned of those years.

Pep Guardiola handed Thiago his first team debut in May 2009, when he came on in the 74th minute of a La Liga clash against RCD Mallorca with the title already wrapped up.

Making a further 100 appearances across the next four seasons, a budding Thiago later revealed to BT Sport that he left Barca because he “played with a lot of legends” and therefore “struggled to play as many minutes as I wanted”.

For a bargain $21.7 million (€20 million) fee, he fled to Bayern Munich in 2013 on a four-year contract and found his feet in Bavaria where he become a club legend in addition to a seven-time Bundesliga king.

After claiming his second Champions League winners medal in Lisbon in the summer of 2020, and playing a key role in an 8-2 demolition of former club Barca in the quarterfinals, Thiago took a fresh challenge in England where he signed for Liverpool.

Injuries meant that he could only muster 98 appearances for the Reds across four terms, which, as explained, was less than he managed over the same period of time before leaving the Blaugrana as a young man.

The Premier League giants revealed in May that Thiago would leave at the end of the 2023/2024 campaign, and now, aged 33, the ex-Spain international has decided to call time on a glittering career as reported by Romano and confirmed via Thiago’s staff through Brazilian journalist Josue Seixas.

Thiago can do so with his head held high, as a figure that was widely thought to be one of the best midfielders of his generation.