Thiago reveals which Liverpool game made him realise his playing career was over

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One big regret for Liverpool fans about the Jurgen Klopp years is that they did not get to see the very best from Thiago Alcantara.There was a period during the quadruple-chasing 2021/22 campaign in which Thiago felt close to being at his world-class best, but by and large his four-year spell at Anfield left supporters wanting so much more.Injuries were the main reason for that, and fitness issues ultimately led to the Spaniard retiring aged only 33 at the end of his Liverpool contract in 2024. Speaking two years on, Thiago has now admitted that he knew it was over for him after his last appearance for the Reds, against Arsenal in February 2024.

Would you make any other changes to the team too? 👀 Neither of them were spotted in training after picking up suspected injuries on international duty… Thiago cried after his final Liverpool appearanceHaving already missed almost a full year of football by the time he played against Arsenal, things were not looking especially positive for Thiago when the game at the Emirates came around.Nevertheless, there had been excitement about his appearances in training, and there was a feeling amongst fans that if he could get back fit, the No. And while speaking to The Athletic FC Podcast in a video released on Saturday, the 35-year-old revealed that he knew at that moment that it was time for him to retire.“I think the last game I played for Liverpool against Arsenal,” Thiago told journalist David Ornstein when asked if anything in football had ever reduced him to tears.READ MORE: Broken glasses, miracles, and Manchester United: Liverpool fans on the best of the Jurgen Klopp era“I didn’t mean to play, it was not in the medical, doctor’s schedule that I should play.

“I was on the bench and he said ‘do you want to play?’ I said ‘if I came here, yes, I want to play.’ I wasn’t ready to play, near that, and suddenly after five minutes playing I pulled my hamstring for the first time in my career. I cried in the game, I cried after, but then it’s just get at peace with yourself.”He may have known it deep down, but it was not until July, almost two months after waving goodbye to Liverpool alongside Joel Matip and Klopp himself in May 2024 that Thiago officially announced his retirement.Since then, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder has dipped his toe into coaching, and, without a job currently, perhaps he will still get the chance to make up for lost time and appear on the touchline for the Reds.