Barcelona didn't believe in me, claims Thiago

By Myfanwy Garman

Mar 3, 2014 8:30:00 PM

The midfielder has revealed that his desire to leave the Catalan giants was a result of feeling undervalued and lauded his new club

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara has hit out at his former club Barcelona for not having confidence in his ability.

The 22-year-old midfielder, who swapped the Camp Nou for the Allianz Arena in July 2013, described his new club as the "best in the world" and revealed that he was happy with his decision to join Die Roten after feeling increasingly undervalued in Catalunya.

"My decision [to come to Bayern] was wonderful. It was about the leadership. I got the impression at Barca that they didn't believe in me," Thiago told Kicker

"The club are the best in the world, it's great to play in the Bundesliga."

The Spain international re-joined former Barca boss Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich and the 43-year-old's management of the Bavarian giants has led to comparisons between the two clubs.

However, Thiago stressed that both clubs remain unique and praised Guardiola's ability to convey ideas to his players.

He said: "Barca will never be Bayern and Bayern will never be Barca. [Pep] brings us his ideas about football and manages to pass on his skills to the local players."

Despite his criticism of Barcelona, Thiago revealed his admiration of his former team mate, Xavi and explained that he views his compatriot as something to aspire to.

"Xavi is the benchmark for me. When I see him, my jaw drops," he said. "I hope I can give football a little bit of what Xavi gave football." ------------- goal.com