Thiago Alcantara has taken to social media to post a heartfelt message of gratitude after his retirement from professional football was announced on Sunday.
Fabrizio Romano broke the bombshell news yesterday afternoon, with the former Liverpool midfielder calling time on his playing career just three months after his 33rd birthday.
On Monday evening, the Spaniard posted on X: “I will always be willing to give back what I have been given and I am grateful for the time I have enjoyed it. Thank you, football. And to all who accompanied me and made me a better player and person along the way. See you soon, Thiago.”
The message was accompanied by four images from his career, including one of his jaw-dropping goal against Porto in November 2021.
I will always be willing to give back what I have been given and I am grateful for the time I have enjoyed it.
Thank you, football. And to all who accompanied me and made me a better player and person along the way.
See you soon,
Thiago. pic.twitter.com/wtMxmF6z9L— Thiago Alcantara (@Thiago6) July 8, 2024
Football can be gut-wrencingly cruel sometimes. It doesn’t feel right that a player of Thiago’s brilliance should feel compelled to retire at just 33 years of age, but unfortunately he was no longer able to rage against persistent injury problems.
His final season as a professional footballer amounted to a paltry five minutes on the pitch, with a long-standing hip problem rendering him unavailable for the best part of a year. It really isn’t how such a glittering career should come to an end, but alas that’s the harsh reality which has befallen him.
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Our former no.6 mightn’t be out of football for long, though, with reports from Spain that Barcelona want to bring him back to Camp Nou as part of Hansi Flick’s backroom team.
His frequent injury troubles prevented us from seeing the true best of Thiago at Liverpool, but nobody who was at Anfield for that aforementioned Champions League game against Porto will ever forget his magical half-volley goal, nor his masterclass in the 4-0 drubbing of Manchester United in April 2022.
He gave this magnificent sport so much during his glittering playing career, and we’ll always be grateful that he got to spend the final four years of it with the Reds.
After such woeful luck over the past 15 months, he deserves a complete reversal in fortunes with whatever comes next for him. Thank you, sir, for gracing us with your genius.
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The post ‘I will always…’ – Thiago posts heartfelt message on social media after retirement decision appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
