Thiago eyes fresh start

[1]

It is often the case that the brightest Spanish talents head to Barcelona or Real Madrid. Any Spaniard who has consistently won accolades for his on-field abilities inevitably joins one of the Big Two, very rarely has it been otherwise.

For a Spaniard, playing for Real or Barcelona will speed up their chances of being a regular at the national team.
However, if the rumour mill is to be believed, this transfer window will something unusual — a Spaniard leaving one of the Big Two for a ‘foreign’ club to improve his chances of donning the Spanish red. Twenty-two-year-old Thiago Alcantara has long been considered a natural heir to the one and only Xavi Hernandez, both in Barcelona line-up and Spanish national team. Thiago’s ability to control the pace of the game from the heart of the midfield and his excellent distribution of the ball goes hand-in-hand with the style of football played in that part of the Europe. To call him the next Xavi would be a hyperbole as the former is an exception but, in Thiago, Spaniards saw their best bet to replace the irreplaceable.
However, despite all the talent he possesses, Thiago has still not made the breakthrough he deserves. One crucial reason being the 26-year-old Cesc Fabregas. If Thiago can stake his claim for the big role with his talent, the former Arsenal skipper can do the same, but with an added incentive — experience. But the most important of all the reasons is the man Thiago is eyeing to replace — Xavi. Even at 33, the Barca legend is no mood to hang up his boots, and why should he? His talent and vision have only improved with age. But having said that, no matter how fancy the adjective ‘ageless’ may sound, the harsh truth is no one can reverse or pause father time. The day when one of the greatest midfielders in modern day football will call time on his career is not that far away and if that unfortunate moment does come by, Spain will witness an intriguing battle for supremacy — between a true Catalan hero and a challenger with Brazilian bloodline. For now, it seems Fabregas is a few yards ahead of Thiago — son of former Brazilian international Mazinho. To beat Cesc, the former Flamengo midfielder — who made his senior international debut for Spain in 2011 — has to show his true class week in and week out. And that is precisely why Thiago is swimming against the tide, to get more playing time at a club other than the Big Two. Time to brush up on his English perhaps?