Thiago Alcantara explains why he had 'no choice' but to retire after leaving Liverpool

Thiago Alcantara has spoken candidly about the challenging choice to call time on his football career following his departure from Liverpool. The Spanish midfielder's contract at Anfield came to an end after the 2023/24 campaign, with his retirement announcement following in July.

Injuries severely hampered the 34 year old's spell on Merseyside. His final campaign saw him manage just a solitary five-minute cameo appearance, having been restricted to only five substitute outings since early February 2023.

Given these circumstances, few were shocked when the midfielder decided to hang up his boots last year. Yet that didn't make Thiago's choice any less painful after spending 15 years at the highest level with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

"After such a long struggle to become a footballer – then to become the footballer I wanted to be – the hardest step was accepting that it was coming to an end," he admitted.

"It wasn't difficult because of what would come next, but because I had to let go of something I was in love with, due to circumstances beyond my control. It was difficult, but I had to find that peace with myself, that acceptance and pride for the career I had."

Thiago has returned to Barcelona, joining the coaching staff under Hansi Flick last month. After a brief coaching spell with the Catalans in the summer of 2024 following his retirement, Thiago quickly realised his desire to pursue a career in coaching.

"My experience as part of Barca's coaching staff in the summer of 2024 was wonderful," he reminisced in an interview with The Coaches' Voice. "It came at a point when the game was still fresh in my mind and my legs, but I couldn't compete at the highest level anymore.

"I knew that the child inside me – the one who made me play football – had faded away. In order to help other people, my adult self had to contribute with knowledge. I used it to provide a clear idea of how to play, a philosophy and a group behaviour.

"I am very proud of that spell we had in 2024. Above all, I am proud of what the whole group achieved last season and what they are doing now.

"I am working on my coaching, and am passionate about understanding and learning from other areas relating to performance. For example, talking with physiotherapists or fitness trainers about what they do.

"If I progress as a coach, it is because my talent perhaps wasn't meant only to be a football player, but also to help others. I am very didactic; I want to help a lot, and can direct my talent towards making a real difference in the lives of other athletes.

"The ball will always be present in my life; it will just be different now. It is about giving that ball a place within a football team or within football in general.

"I have fulfilled the dream I had all my life, which was to be a football player, but my other dream continues. I want to help people."

In reality, Thiago's initial foray into coaching arguably began with his switch to Liverpool from Bayern Munich in September 2020.

Reflecting on his spell under Jürgen Klopp at Anfield, the experienced midfielder reveals it was the German manager who first predicted his future in coaching.

"My time at Liverpool encompassed everything I look for in a club and everything I'd always loved," he said.

"The feeling of competing for every trophy, of being dominant on the pitch, yet giving off that sense of being a fighting club where every day you have to battle for a goal.

"It wasn't that we fell short of anything in particular, you just had to really work for it. At Liverpool I found that blend of being and feeling dominant, while also working hard to make it happen.

"The intensity of English football makes it closer to the football played in South America. At Liverpool we went through a very nice period of adaptation, learning and growth.

"It was where I worked with Jürgen Klopp – someone who exudes energy on a daily basis. I was fortunate to be with a manager capable of adapting every possible situation to the team's favour.

"We are talking about good situations and not-so-good ones. With Klopp, there are no bad situations; just moments that need to be channelled in a way that makes them favourable to your team.

"And he achieved this through energy, calmness, or even laughter at moments that aren't expected to be funny. He managed to instil that flow of energy, that direction, so everyone followed him.

"Apart from the intensity of the training sessions, the best thing I could pass on from Jurgen to my team is the idea that, even if you only want to focus on working on a specific move, the play never stops – it stays alive.

"You can't run a finishing drill without having an extra ball in case of a rebound, a loss of possession, or if you need to make a transition. What I took from Jurgen is the intensity that derives from running, passing and being well positioned.

"I could make a long list of all the coaches who have been beneficial throughout my life: Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick, Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klopp, Jupp Heynckes.

"I felt the benefit particularly towards the end of my playing days. I don't know if it was because Jurgen had seen my grey hairs, or because we used part of the time we had on the pitch to talk and lead, but it was Jurgen who told me I was going to be a coach."