As Liverpool confirmed the signing of Naby Keita in 2017, Jürgen Klopp expressed his delight: "I’ve got lots of contacts in Germany and I’ve never got so many congratulations messages after we signed him. He is the best player in the league. Last year together with Thiago Alcantara they were the best in the league." Three years later, Klopp is able to pick Keita and Thiago side by side for the champions of England. Thiago's artistry on the field well as his talent for recovering the ball and transitioning play from defence to attack in an instant is a potent weapon for Liverpool to have. He will be able to fit seamlessly into the English league relying on his experience playing 336 games at the very top for Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Thiago has also excelled for the Spanish national team, representing not his country of birth, Italy, nor the homeland of his parents, Brazil, but the country where he became a professional footballer and received his education at the famed La Masia. Thiago's father, Mazinho, has 35 caps for Brazil and his brother, Rafinha, at Barcelona, has earned two caps for Brazil as well.