Having emerged through the famed La Masia academy, Thiago had a front-row seat to the peak of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona dynasty. While most would immediately point to Messi as the standout figure of that era, Thiago looked closer to home when identifying his ultimate team-mate from his time at Camp Nou.
Speaking on thePeter Crouch Podcast, the Spaniard explained why Andres Iniesta got the nod over the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. "Barcelona, you could choose from the goalkeeper to the striker," Thiago said. "But for sure, the understanding of the game, this kind of mix between tactical and talent was Andres Iniesta. We had Messi, Xavi, Busquets, we had a lot of great players. Iniesta was playing in my position and I mirrored myself into that player."