Barcelona have confirmed Thiago Alcantara has returned to the club in a coaching capacity.
The midfielder called time on his playing career earlier this summer, having left Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract.
Thiago was limited to only one appearance during his final season as a footballer after undergoing hip surgery towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
A product of Barca’s famed La Masia academy, the 33-year-old left the Camp Nou for Bayern Munich in 2013 as part of Pep Guardiola’s rebuild of the German giants.
He made 235 appearances across seven years in Bavaria, winning seven Bundesliga titles and the Champions League amongst a raft of other cup trophies.
Former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp hailed the former Spanish international following Thiago’s Liverpool departure.
"Before he even came to Liverpool I believed that if you really love football it would make a lot of sense if you watched Thiago Alcantara play,” he said.
"Technically, he is so, so good. A talent who could play in any team in the world and it was a privilege to have him with us.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐀𝐥𝐜𝐚́𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚 to gain experience with the Barça coaching staff
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 17, 2024
"I already knew a lot about him as a footballer before he got here – what he did at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, how could you not? – and I could not have been happier when he decided to take on a new challenge with us.”
Now, Barca have confirmed Thiago will join Hansi Flick’s coaching staff for the club’s pre-season tour of the US.
Flick, who was appointed as Xavi’s replacement in May, worked with Thiago at Bayern during the treble-winning 2019-20 season.
