Why Thiago is the heartbeat of Bayern Munich midfield?

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MUNICH, GERMANY – JANUARY 27: Thiago Alcantara of FC Bayern Munich in action during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and VfB Stuttgart at Allianz Arena on January 27, 2019 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images) /

With a touch of gold and a master’s degree in the witchcraft of passing the ball, Thiago Alcantara is one of the best players of his generation to play for Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich has been one of the most successful European teams in the last decade. Similar to the Marvel universe, Bayern had numerous heroes in this success story. Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, and David Alaba are namely a few players who played a crucial role.

Among this lot is a player who deserves a spotlight of his own. Procured from FC Barcelona in 2013, Thiago Alcantara has certainly created a special position for himself in the Rekordmeister’s squad.

Thiago started his football career from the lower ranks at Flamengo before joining Barcelona in 2005. His technique and leadership qualities had already set him on track for excellence. After guiding Spain to U-21 Euros in 2013, Thiago clinched the player of the tournament award. The UEFA technical team gave a fitting description of Thiago’s qualities.

"“As captain of the title winners, Thiago displayed leadership qualities on and off the pitch and, throughout the tournament, was an influential figure in his team’s performance with impressive box-to-box work; exceptional ball control even in the tightest of situations; ability to dictate the tempo of play; intelligent ball-winning based on anticipation rather than tackling; and outstanding playmaking skills based on a wide variety of short and long passing. His three goals in the final represented a unique individual achievement and reward for his contributions to his team’s success.”"

After arriving with Pep Guardiola at the club in 2013, Thiago was seen as the linchpin for installing his playing style in a newfound, “tiki-taka” Bayern Munich. Guardiola made sure that Die Roten doesn’t miss out on the Spanish midfielder.

Since 2013, Thiago has established himself as one of the key players for Rekordmeister. He had his share of injury problems, but in the past few seasons, he has become the heartbeat of the team in midfield. Let us shed some light on his importance to Die Roten.

(Note: All the statistical data has been sourced from fbref.com)