What I’m about to say hasn’t been approved by the Vatican, but here goes: Thiago Alcantara is the way, the truth, and the life… in a midfield, at least.

Born in Italy, nurtured in Brazil, mentored in Spain and revered in Germany, Thiago Alcantara has seen the world of football and conquered parts of it.

The Spain international spent the prime of his footballing years in Germany, strengthening Bayern Munich’s stranglehold over the Bundesliga title and going home with a Champions League winners’ medal in 2019-20. When Jurgen Klopp and the red half of Merseyside came calling, though, Thiago decided it was time.

And so, the diminutive midfielder boarded a flight from the beer-soaked lands of Bavaria and touched base in Liverpool, a land dripping with history, prestige, and the echoes of The Beatles.

Sure, it was a rough start for the former Bayern man, what with the empty stands that followed a hallowed arrival that got the fanbase jumping, albeit virtually. And sure, Liverpool faced an unprecedented injury crisis that season.

That uncertainty, however, laid down the foundation for Thiago’s magical 2021-22 season with the Reds.

For years under Jurgen Klopp’s watchful eye, Liverpool tweaked their style of play to evolve every season, eventually winning the Champions League and the Premier League in consecutive years. For all of those years, their midfield had a singular objective – to cover swathes of space to let their attackers wreak havoc.

But it was time for Liverpool to evolve in yet another way to keep their rivals on their toes. 

Perhaps fittingly, that responsibility fell squarely on the shoulders of the twinkle-toed Thiago.

In a 2021-22 season where Liverpool ended up playing every possible game in the club football calendar, Thiago Alcantara dictated the rhythm and direction of the Reds’ passage of play through arguably the most crowded part of the pitch – the midfield.

A conjurer of possibilities in situations where hope is bleak, the Spain international elevated a Liverpool midfield desperately in need of inspiration and creative guile.

How did one person have such a transformative effect on a side that romped to the quickest Premier League title win in history?

Well, that’s what happens when you’re a midfield messiah baptised in the waters of Barcelona’s famed La Masia.

Few midfielders marry technical brilliance with elite defensive play, but for Thiago, it’s just another gospel to preach.

The Adonis of midfielders, the former Bayern man always plays like he has a glass of wine in his hands. Red, of course, the colours of Bayern Munich and Liverpool Football Club.

There’s a certain elegance to his play, like his feet are made of stardust.

The ball knows this, it would appear. Why else would it fly off the outside of his boot with all the majesty of a shooting star?

It’s fascinating watching Thiago Alcantara work his magic. A sea of calm in an area where chaos is the law of the land. In a league where you’re afforded precious little time on the ball.

You can’t rush Thiago, though. That’s a fool’s errand. You can try, sure. Thiago knows you can. But he has a plan.

He shows you just enough of the ball, like a matador waving his crimson-coloured cape, teasing you, urging you to charge and press him, dangling a sliver of hope to draw you in.

You see red. You rush, horns and all.

Thiago waves his cape and, twinkle-toed matador that he is, turns swiftly.

Before you know it, he’s gone. He’s the devil; he’s smoke.

And he’s so much more.

He’s a painter, creating an invisible tapestry across the pitch with passes like delicate, measured strokes of a painting.

Liverpool’s midfield whisperer is clearly a man of many talents, which is why Liverpool were so close to immortality.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were on an unprecedented quest to secure all four trophies on offer – the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup.

Two cups won; two cups lost. Is the glass of wine half full?

The parade on the streets of Liverpool suggested otherwise, the open-top bus serving as their beatific perch. Silverware is, after all, the currency of success.

Liverpool City Council estimated more than 500,000 supporters lined the streets of Merseyside, waiting to catch a glimpse of Klopp’s megawatt grin through the red smoke.

For those fans, the parade was therapeutic after being robbed of one post their Premier League-winning season.

For the men’s team, it was vindication on the back of a successful season where they put themselves in the best possible position to win every trophy on offer.

For the women’s team, it was a fabled comeback, having wrapped up the FA Women’s Championship title (and with it, promotion to the Women’s Super League) with two games to spare.

For Thiago Alcantara, though, it was something different.

This was his Liverpool renaissance.