It had recently been reported that the 20-year-old midfielder was being tracked by Seleção boss Mano Menezes. Thiago was born in Italy and grew up in Spain, but qualifies to play for Brazil through his father, 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho.
However, after helping Spain to win the European Under-21 Championships, the young Barcelona player has been called up to the senior side by coach Vicente del Bosque for the friendly against Italy on August 10.
Thiago is not the first player eligible for Brazil who has played for Spain. Marcos Senna was a key part of the Spanish side that won Euro 2008, having been born in Sao Paulo but later gaining Spanish citizenship during his time with Villarreal.
