The gifted midfielder is keen to prove his worth after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, he does not fear Barcelona in the Champions League
Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara believes his injury problems in recent years have proven a blessing in disguise, as he is now hungrier than ever before.
The Spain international missed a large part of the 2013-14 season and the first half of the current campaign with two separate knee problems.
The 24-year-old recently made his comeback, though, and played a key role in his side’s progression to the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Porto, netting Bayern’s only goal in their 3-1 defeat at the Dragao last week and then he opener in Tuesday’s 6-1 triumph in Bavaria .
Thiago is delighted to be back to his best and feels his prolonged absence has only increased his desire to prove his worth and show what he can do.
“”The good thing about my injury was that I am very hungry to play now, to score goals and to be important,” the midfielder told the official Uefa website.
“Every player who comes back from injury is very motivated to play his part for the team.”
Thiago then went on to admit that he did not expect Bayern’s first-half blitz in their demolition of Porto, with the Bundesliga champions scoring five goals in the opening 45 minutes.
“We didn’t think we could stun Porto like that. We thought about playing the ball fast, about scoring goals, but not about scoring as many as we did.”
Bayern could potentially meet Thiago’s former club Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but the Spain international does not fear the Catalans.
“We don’t care about the next opponent. We are in the semi-finals of the Champions League and are among the four best teams in Europe. Every match will be difficult.”