All eyes will be on former Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara this Friday as he faces his old side in the Champions League semi-final with Bayern Munich.

Thiago, who is a key part of Bayern's midfield, came through Barcelona's famed La Masia academy.

He drew the attention of Barcelona at a young age while playing for ED Val Minor Nigran and, despite the attention of many big clubs, he decided to move to the Catalan capital.

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The 29-year-old moved between the youth team and Barcelona B when Pep Guardiola was the B team coach before he finally established himself as a first-team player under Luis Enrique.

Thiago made his debut on May 17, 2009, against Real Mallorca and he has turned out to be one of the best products to have come out of La Masia.

After not being able to establish himself as a first-team regular at Barcelona, Guardiola took Thiago to Bavaria for a fee of 25 million euros.

Bayern now have a player moulded by Guardiola into someone who has Barcelona's style of play and philosophy in his DNA and it will be interesting to how he fairs against his ex-employers.

Thiago could be making one of his last appearances for the club, however, with his contract due to expire in 2021 and the player not planning on signing an extension.

MARCA