Thiago Alcantara has been coaching at FC Barcelona ever since retiring from football in the summer.
Liverpool FC ended up being his last club, with his four stint a mix of brilliance and frustration.
During his time at Liverpool, Thiago made 98 appearances, contributing three goals and six assists.
He joined the Reds in 2020 for a fee of £27 million, but injuries continued to hamper his impact at Anfield as time wore on.
In his final season, the Spaniard was not available for the entirety of the campaign bar one five-minute cameo against Arsenal in March.
The injuries and rough final season on Merseyside surely played a big role in the 32-year-old announcing his retirement at the end of the season,
Following his retirement, Thiago Alcântara was invited by Hansi Flick to join the coaching team at Barcelona.
Flick, who previously coached Thiago at Bayern Munich, valued the Spaniard’s contributions during their time together, particularly in Bayern’s 2020 historic Sextuple win, where Thiago played a crucial role.
Thiago’s linguistic abilities—being fluent in both German and Spanish—made him an ideal candidate to assist Flick in adjusting to the Camp Nou environment.
Moreover, having risen through Barcelona’s renowned La Masia academy and represented the club earlier in his playing career, Thiago possesses an intrinsic understanding of the club’s culture, which is seen as vital during this transitional period for Barcelona.
But now, it seems his short two-month spell is now at its end.
Barcelona announce Thiago exit
Barcelona have announced that Thiago has left his short-term role as a coach at the Catalan on Friday.
The former Liverpool man has been replaced by Arnau Blanco, who up until now was the coach of the Barca u16A side.
On Thiago, Hansi Flick said:
“We have an excellent relationship since he played in Munich. We called each other when he ended his career, and I told him that he would be an excellent coach.”
“He has helped the team and is a great person. Now he’s leaving, and we have Arnau, from La Masia, who is also giving us a lot of support. I don’t know if he will return or not.”
It is not known what Thiago will do now, but all signs point towards him being involved in coaching during the future.
The 32-year-old himself hinted as much in his retirement letter, so we may see him return to football soon.
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