Bayern Munich creative midfielder Thiago Alcantara believes his injury problems in recent years have proven to become a blessing in disguise, as he is now hungrier than ever before to achieve success. The Spanish 24-year-old missed a large part of the 2013-14 season and the first-half of the current campaign due to persistent long-term knee injuries, but has recently made a comeback into the Bavarian's first-team and played a key role in both UEFA Champions League fixtures against Portuguese side FC Porto, scoring twice in the space of a week against them.
Thiago is happy to be back playing regular football, and feels that his prolonged absence has only increased his desire to better himself as a player. He said the following, to the official UEFA website: "The good thing about my injury was that I am very hungry to play now, to score goals and to be important. Every player who comes back from injury is very motivated to play his part for the team."
On their 6-1 rout against Porto, to progress into the semi-finals of the competition: "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."
The UEFA Champions League semi-final draw is set to take place tomorrow afternoon, with the potential meeting between Thiago's former employers Barcelona, who comfortably brushed past Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round. He also stated: "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."