Thiago Alcantara's wife Julia Vigas posted an adorable Instagram image of their young daughter looking grumpy at Anfield on Sunday.
The youngster was watching her dad's Liverpool side take on Everton in the Merseyside derby. The Reds overcame their stubborn rivals 2-0 thanks to goals from Andy Robertson and Divock Origi, as Thiago produced another stellar display at the heart of midfield.
"When they mess with my daddy," read caption - which refers to Thiago's full Liverpool debut against Everton in October 2020. The Spaniard was brutally hacked down by Richarlison, suffering a knee injury that ruled him out for two-and-a-half months.
Thiago was understandably frustrated with the challenge, as per Richarlison's testimony. "I went on Instagram to apologise and such," revealed the Brazilian in March 2021. "He only saw it. I said, 'I’m going to delete this message too, since he doesn’t want to reply.'
"Then I went there and deleted it. He didn’t answer, no. Then there was the derby now, at their home [in February 2021, which Everton won 2-0]. He didn’t look at my face, I didn’t look at him, either. The game goes on."
Since then, however, Thiago has become the focal point of Liverpool's midfield and proved his doubters wrong. Many critics insisted he wouldn't be able to physically cope with the demands of Jurgen Klopp's heavy metal football.
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“People were questioning if he suits our football," said Klopp ahead of the Everton clash. "Thank God these people don’t make decisions. It is more important Thiago wanted to join us and he knew how we played.
"He is a real football person and thinks a lot about football. He knew how we played, and he knew he would fit in and we knew it as well... Thiago had only one problem, he was injured and it started with an Everton game, to be honest. That didn’t help. It was never a question if he would suit us. We only signed him because we knew he would help us."
Thiago is leading Liverpool's quadruple charge. The Reds have already won the EFL Cup, reached the final of the FA Cup and qualified for the last four of the Champions League. They're currently one point behind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League.
The midfielder was outstanding in Liverpool's recent home game against Manchester United, helping them win 4-0. That earned him a standing ovation from the Anfield faithful. "The standing ovation he got, I think he deserved," admitted Robertson.
"But, to be honest, if any one of us came off, I think they deserved that standing ovation. As a whole team, I thought we were outstanding.
"I thought the midfield three worked so hard. Thiago’s a special player and the performances he’s putting in just now are exceptional and he needs to keep that going. He played at a really high standard but I thought Fab [Fabinho] and Hendo [Jordan Henderson] were outstanding as well and did the dirty work, won the ball back – and so did Thiago."
