Spare a thought for Liverpool midfielder Thaigo Alcantara against Chelsea this evening.
Liverpool won a fifth trophy under Jurgen Klopp by beating Chelsea in a fascinating Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
The German manager’s troops won a penalty shootout 11-10 after a stunning 0-0 draw throughout the first two hours.
However, the Spain international missed the chance to be part of it.
Thiago was set to start in Liverpool’s midfield against Chelsea but an injury in the warm-up saw him replaced with Naby Keita.
And footage of the devastated 30-year-old was circulating on Twitter before the game, with Alisson – omitted for Caomihin Keller, who wound up scoring the decisive penalty – pictured consoling his teammate.
Thiago, a £20 million signing in 2020, has won virtually everything possible at club level – including two Champions League titles with Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively.
However, trophies are the ultimate motivation for footballers and the maestro can justifiably feel sick to miss out.
It’s also worth noting that Thiago is only back from injury, having spent a couple weeks on the sidelines.
In fact, a large chunk of his Liverpool career to date has been decimated by injury, adding a further sting to the fact he couldn’t compete in a cup final.
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