Barcelona starlet Thiago Alcantara has been called for Spain's friendly against the Azzurri on August 10, though he is Brazilian and born in Italy.
Barcelona starlet Thiago Alcantara has been called for Spain's friendly against the Azzurri on August 10, though he is Brazilian and born in Italy.
The 20-year-old is the son of Brazilian former Lecce and Fiorentina” data-scaytid=”10″>Fiorentina star Mazinho, while he was born in Italy at San Pietro Vernotico (Brindisi).
The midfielder burst on to the Spanish football scene when winning the Under-21 European Championship and stood out in pre-season friendlies.
Coach Vicente Del Bosque has called Thiago Alcantara for Spain's August 10 match against Italy at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari.
This is only a few miles away from the player's birthplace, as his father was playing for Lecce at the time.
Del Bosque has left out the injured Carles Puyol, while Cesc Fabregas is dropped due to the chaos surrounding his future at Arsenal or Barcelona.
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Josè Manuel Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Gerard Piquè (Barcelona), Andoni Iraola (Athletic Bilbao)
Midfielders: Thiago Alcantara (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Santiago Cazorla (Malaga), Xavi (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Athletic Bilbao)
Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Juan Mata (Valencia), Pedro (Barcelona), David Villa (Barcelona), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla)