Bayern Munich chief lifts lid on Thiago’s tearful farewell after Liverpool move

Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed how Thiago Alcantara broke down in tears after being told ahead of his transfer to Liverpool.

Thiago made his debut for the Reds on Sunday after making a £27m move from Bundesliga giants Bayern, having spent seven years in Germany.

With his contract running out in a years time, Bayern opted to cash in on Thiago, despite his fine performances for the Champions League winners.

And Rummenigge admitted that it was hard for Thiago to say good bye to the club, leaving many people at the club teary, none more so than himself though.

“On Thursday, the transfer to Liverpool had been granted. When I arrived, I would say 10 minutes later, in the car park, he was standing at the spot where I always park,” Rummenigge told Sky Sport.

“I thought to myself: ‘What’s he doing here?’ He came up to me and cried in my arms for five minutes. He cried for five minutes and simply said: ‘Thank you very much for allowing this’.

“He is a great human being and was always a first-class player for Bayern Munich. I was tremendously happy for him in [the Champions League games in] Lisbon. He has always been questioned because he supposedly isn’t capable of bringing big performances in big games, but in the entire three-game tournament in Lisbon he proved what quality he has.

“That he is now leaving us is a big loss quality wise, but also just as a human being. Despite that, we respected that he wanted to do something new.

“His contract, just like David Alaba’s, was running out in a year. Every club would of course like to avoid having a player of that quality leave for nothing and we considered this and granted his wish, but he has conducted himself brilliantly.

“The way he said goodbye to all the employees and players was unbelievable. I became teary-eyed too because I always had a really close relationship with him.

“You would run into him in Grunwald regularly and meet him in the evening for dinner and things like that. It was almost a familial relationship that was cultivated with him and you get to know the player not just on the pitch but as a human being. He is a super guy.”