Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento, known simply as Thiago, is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for FC Barcelona. In 2001 he played with Kelme CF when his father played with Elche CF. He returned to Flamengo aged 10 and, in 2005, once again moved back to Spain, signing with FC Barcelona. On 17 May 2009, aged 18 years old, Thiago made his debut with the first team when he came on as a substitute for Eiður Guðjohnsen in the 63rd minute against RCD Mallorca. On 20 February 2010, Thiago scored his first goal for Barcelona's first team in a 4–0 win against Racing de Santander at the Camp Nou. His second goal came in a game against UD Almería on 9 April 2011, to make the score 2–1. He ended the 2010–11 season with 17 games, three goals, and three assists under his belt. On 29 June 2011, Thiago signed a contract renewal keeping him at Barcelona until 30 June 2015. During the 2011-2012 season, he scored on Barcelona's first La Liga match of the season in a 5–0 home thriller against Villarreal CF. He participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship with Spain, helping his country to eventual victory in the tournament. He was awarded the man of the match of the final as well as player of the tournament due to his impressive performances throughout the competition.