The speculation about a new employer is over: Long-serving Bayern player Thiago has ended his active career at the age of 33
It was already clear that his time at Liverpool FC would come to an end. Now it is also clear: Thiago will not continue his career at any other club. The Spanish midfielder declared the end of his career on Monday evening.
“Thank you, soccer. And to everyone who has accompanied me on my journey and made me a better player and person,” he wrote in a statement published on social media. “We’ll see you again soon, Thiago. “
Seven German championships with FC Bayern
Thiago’s contract with LFC recently expired on June 30. There had been rumors of a move to FC Girona, among others. However, he will not be returning to Spain, where he started his career at FC Barcelona. After training at La Masia, the Catalan club’s famous youth academy, until 2008, Thiago made his debut for the first team under Pep Guardiola in 2009. In 2011, the Italian-born midfielder won the Champions League with Barcelona as a supplementary player.
Two years later, Guardiola brought his star pupil to Munich, where Thiago pulled the strings in midfield until 2020 and won the championship in each of his seven Bundesliga seasons. His side-footed goal against VfB Stuttgart in January 2014 was unforgettable, and in his last game for the record champions, Thiago won the Champions League for the second time in 2020
Bad timing in the national team
The technician and playmaker left for Liverpool shortly afterwards. In the Premier League, however, the exceptional footballer repeatedly struggled with injuries, most notably a protracted hip injury that slowed him down for almost ten months. When Thiago made his comeback at the beginning of February in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal shortly before the end, he immediately suffered another muscle injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season. It is now clear that this was Thiago’s last game as a professional.
As highly decorated as Thiago was at club level, his timing in the national team was unfortunate: the international missed the 2012 European Championship and thus the last great success of the golden generation around his Barcelona colleagues Xavi and Iniesta through injury, and he also had to withdraw from the 2014 World Cup due to a torn inner ligament. The last of his only 46 international appearances was the lost 2021 European Championship semi-final against Italy
