Official: Thiago Alcantara Confirms Retirement from Football

Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

The legendary midfielder saw his opportunities at Liverpool limited by injury and has now chosen to end his career at 33 years of age.

Over the weekend, reports emerged outlining that 33-year-old midfielder Thiago Alcantara had chosen to retire rather than attempt to continue his career following an injury-plagued final season with Liverpool and the expiration of his contract.

Today, the player took to social media to confirm the news. After a legendary 16-year senior career that saw Thiago leave his inimitable mark at first Barcelona, then Bayern Munich, and finally spend four years with the Reds under Jürgen Klopp, this is the end.

“I will always be willing to give back what I have been given and I am grateful for the time I have enjoyed it,” he wrote. “Thank you, football. And to all who accompanied me and made me a better player and person along the way. See you soon, Thiago.”

Born in Italy to Brazilian parents, his youth career began at Flamengo in Brazil and ended at Barcelona’s La Masia academy before a first team debut in 2009 for manager Pep Guardiola. His breakthrough would come two years later as a 20-year-old.

Establishing himself first for Guardiola at Barcelona and then following the manager to Germany and Bayern, many will point to Guardiola’s questionable handling of the player’s growing injury issues as a contributing factor in his early retirement.

Regardless the cause, by the time Thiago joined the Reds in 2020 he had developed a reputation for being injury prone, and even a lighter workload at Anfield saw the situation worsen until a final 2023-24 season with just a single appearance.

With his contract expiring, speculation over a semi-retirement in Saudi Arabia grew but in the end the midfielder decided if top level football was no longer physically possible, it was time for him to hang up his cleats and protect his long-term health.

At Liverpool, Thiago added an FA Cup and Community Shield—plus one of perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing goals scored in the history of football—to a trophy list including La Liga and Bundesliga titles and two Champions League medals.