My feeling is that my body and all my things inside me - when I move, when I do everything - are Brazilian because my family is Brazilian, and my mother language is Brazilian Portuguese. But all the thinking in my life, all the treatment with people, I think I'm more from Spain. That's how I grew up.

Thiago Alcantara

Categorized in : Me Life Mother Family

Football's always been cerebral. The most important thing is thinking fast.

Thiago Alcantara

always important football thinking

Spain started to generate a very good playing style from Pep Guardiola's arrival at Barcelona.

Thiago Alcantara

playing good barcelona style

In Spain, everything's more tactical, more technical, with more possession. In Germany, it's more physical; it's about the runs you make, the counterattacks, and the German mentality is unique: whatever the score, you go to the 90th minute.

Thiago Alcantara

whatever go you unique

I love watching English football. It's the league I most enjoy.

Thiago Alcantara

english enjoy love football

The best thing about having a footballer dad is seeing the game up close. You watch him train, then go home and practice what you've seen in the front room, rearranging the furniture.

Thiago Alcantara

best game you home

The games I enjoy most are the ones I finish exhausted, and with knocks, but having played.

Thiago Alcantara

finish exhausted enjoy games

Football is a competition to see who's the best, not a battle. It's not a war. When it ends, we're still alive.

Thiago Alcantara

best competition football war

Football's become more physical. I would have liked to have been born 10 or 20 years earlier to enjoy football with the same commitment and desire but without the toughness it has now.

Thiago Alcantara

born enjoy football commitment

For any dad who has two footballing sons, to have them in a semi-final and know that at least one will reach the final is the best present in the world.

Thiago Alcantara

best know dad world

You need to know how to enjoy the victories. In the end, this is a great sport, and it's to be enjoyed.

Thiago Alcantara

end great you enjoy

When I was small, I would sit next to my dad and watch the round-up highlights programme with him, and we would talk about the games. I loved it.

Thiago Alcantara

loved talk small dad

In Italy, they are incredibly competitive. It may be that their game is more defensive, but they defend so well; here in Germany, there is more speed and intensity. In England, they are more direct, very box-to-box.

Thiago Alcantara

here more game speed

I arrived in Spain at three years old when my dad played in Valencia. Then we spent a lot of time in Vigo in the northwest part of Spain.

Thiago Alcantara

old dad three time

Football has a thing: You have to decide on an action in a moment, and your head has to be fresh for taking that decision in the moment.

Thiago Alcantara

moment you decision football

For me, it's a pleasure to play football every three or four days.

Thiago Alcantara

me three play football

I am not dependent on Pep. He is a great coach, but I do not need to take the same path as him.

Thiago Alcantara

i-am need great path

I extended my contract here with Bayern because I am happy. I am very thankful of the club and how they supported me regarding my injuries. That is why I put my contract extension into motion so early.

Thiago Alcantara

i-am me happy thankful

Barcelona, Real Madrid, City - there are many teams you'd want to play against.

Thiago Alcantara

city you real want

I want to be a footballer. I don't want to do anything else.

Thiago Alcantara

else anything footballer want

Being with the first team is a reward for me. I'll take the opportunity with everything I have.

Thiago Alcantara

reward me team opportunity