Player Watch: Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcantara is the newest player to be linked with Manchester United. The highly talented La Masia graduate was approached by United couple of years back and Barca slammed a €90 million buyout clause on him to shoo away any interest from the top European clubs. Born in Brazil and brought up in Spain, Thiago was born to former footballer and Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho. His brother Rafael Alcantara, or Rafinha as he is known, is also a La Masia graduate.

Thiago began playing for the lower ranks of Brazilian team Flamengo at a very young age and moved on to Spain to join Ureca. He then returned to Brazil and joined Flamengo aged 10, post which he headed back to Spain in 2005, signing for Barcelona and making his full debut as a sub for Eidur Gudjohnsen against Mallorca in May 2009. With the arrival of Fabregas from Arsenal and as a result of injury, Thiago’s time on the pitch reduced drastically and he was mostly used as a substitute. Out of the total 26 appearances this season, he was introduced as a substitute in 11 games. His style of play has seen him win praises from all over, including Xavi who said he is an “extraordinary player”, and “he’s not just a player for the future, but a player for right now”.

Position and Stats

Thiago plays in the midfield, just ahead of the defensive midfielder and is an expert when it comes to passing and keeping possession of the ball. Although he is not a tough tackling kind of player, the composure when he has the ball in his feet is commendable. His technique and skills have made him race ahead of other La Masia players and got him promoted as one of the key players in the Barca side under Pep Guardiola. On an average, his successful pass completion exceeds 90 percent in almost every game. His weakness lies in the physical side of the game. Although he can go on for more than 90 minutes, he is not known to be physical or the bossy kind.

Chances created – courtesy squawka.com

Passing accuracy – courtesy squawka.com

Transfer Rumours

All the major European Clubs were alerted after Barcelona decided to offload Thiago this summer. There has been major interest from Manchester United, City and Chelsea. The player is available for a bargain €18million, money which the clubs can easily come up with. Expect the negotiations to go on for a long time. The player and his agent will have a huge say in which club he will represent from next season.

Stats for this season:

Total Matches played: 26

Assists: 4

Goals: 2

Passing accuracy: 92%

Yellow cards: 4

Red Cards: 0