Player Watch - Thiago Alcantara

When people think of the Barcelona midfield, their thoughts drift automatically toward the Iniesta and Xavi partnership. But what will the Catalan giants do when either of this legendary pair's career comes to an end? The answer, lies right under their noses. At age 21, Thiago Alcantara, known simply as Thiago, appears to be a young, up and coming player, however this couldn't be further from the truth. He is already established as 'one for the future' at the Nou Camp and is now finding himself regularly used in the highly esteemed midfield spot for the first team.
He has always been around Football, after all, his father is the former Brazil World Cup winner, Mazinho. Born in Italy, he started his Football at Flamengo, Brazil, he then moved to Spain at the age of 5 and played for a small provincial team for a preiod of time during his younger years. Five years later, at 10, he moved back to Brazil and back to Flamengo. After impressing European clubs with his play, this was followed by a move to Barcelona in 2005.
After a few years, his time in Spain meant that he was now eligible for Spanish Citizenship, which he went on to take once his Football career took off in Spain. This coincided almost immediately with his selection for the Spanish U16 team in 2007.
After a number of years in the famous Barcelona Academy and then their second team, he was promoted to the first team partially for the 2010/11 season, in which he played in 12 games, scoring 2 goals.
After this success, he was then given a permanent slot in the first team squad, this meant he featured heavily during the 2011/12 season, playing regularly during rest periods for Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas. He made 27 appearances, scoring 2 more goals and impressing his manager Pep Guardiola greatly.
As a result of these impressive performances, he made his debut for the Spanish National team in 2011 and has since made 2 more appearances.
Throughout his career, he has developed an excellent passing game and a fantastic eye for a pass that rivals many top midfielders, his upbringing makes him a strong, well liked character and added to this, he has physical strength, good agility and a decent  Therefore, we think he has all the skills to find great success in the future.
The success has recently gained reported interest from Manchester United, with several sources saying they were eyeing up the young star. However, it is highly unlikely the Catalan outfit will let him leave after putting so much faith in him over the years, he is a quality player, and could potentially be the spark for a Nou start at the Nou Camp.