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On a crisp November afternoon in Brentford, Igor Thiago did what record signings are supposed to do: score twice. The Brazilian’s double against Newcastle took his goal tally this season to eight in 11 Premier League games, second only to Erling Haaland, and offered further proof that Brentford’s £30m gamble in the summer of 2024 was a wise one.
Brentford fans must have had their doubts last season. After arriving from Club Brugge to replace Ivan Toney, Thiago’s first season was quiet, disjointed and frustrating. Two knee injuries restricted him to just eight appearances, 168 minutes and no goals.
There were plenty of gloomy pre-season predictions for Brentford this summer. After losing Thomas Frank, their captain, Christian Nørgaard, and the forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who were responsible for 60% of their goals and a quarter of their assists last season – Brentford were not expected to thrive. Few thought they would be dishing out defeats to Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Aston Villa, with Thiago as the main man.
Thiago’s story begins far from the manicured pitches of the Premier League. He grew up in Gama, near Brasília. At the age when most academy prospects are worrying about which boots to wear, he was already shouldering responsibility far beyond his years. Thiago’s father died when he was 13, leaving him to support his mother, Maria, who worked as a rubbish collector.
Thiago took on various jobs to help his family, such as carrying groceries in a local supermarket and working as a bricklayer, all while holding on to a dream of professional football. “It helped me as a man and it helped me as a person,” he says of those early struggles. “It helped me to appreciate the little and big things in life.”
He played for a local club, Verê FC, before signing for Cruzeiro, where he made his senior debut at 18. Four goals in 43 Série B appearances hardly sent shockwaves through Brazil but his potential was clear. In 2022 he made the leap to Europe, signing for Ludogorets. His early promise blossomed in Bulgaria, where his 21 goals and 11 assists helped the club win back-to-back league titles.
His performances impressed Club Brugge, who signed him in the summer of 2023 for £7m. It quickly proved a bargain for the Belgian side. Thiago scored 18 league goals in his only season with the club, enough to attract the attention of the astute analytics-driven recruitment team at Brentford. They made him the club’s record signing in July 2024.
His task was simple: succeed Ivan Toney, who had scored 36 goals in 83 Premier League appearances for Brentford. Instead, injuries held him back and his job became to replace Mbeumo and Wissa. Brentford have an outstanding track record of replacing players. Ollie Watkins, Saïd Benrahma, Neal Maupay, David Raya, Toney and Ezri Konsa have all come and gone over the last few years. Each departure led to questions about how they would cope but the team has hardly missed a beat. If anything, they often improve.
But this summer felt different. Brentford had lost three prolific goalscorers in the space of two seasons and were relying on Thiago, who had very little Premier League football under his belt, to carry much of this burden. They were considered among the favourites for relegation, especially when they replaced Frank with Keith Andrews, their young set-pieces coach, who made the step up to head coach for the first time.
Andrews himself acknowledged the scepticism. “I understand the narrative,” he said. “If I were someone externally not understanding what goes on in the building, I might be of the same opinion.” And yet he showed unwavering confidence: “We’re in a really good position and I just feel like most people don’t know that.” He said this in mid-September after his team had started the season with one win in their first four games. Seven games and four wins later, it’s safe to say Andrews was on to something.
Brentford have climbed up the league, largely driven by Thiago’s eight goals. The 24-year-old thrives on long balls, timing his runs behind defences to perfection much like Mbeumo and Wissa did under Frank. He finishes with conviction – his shot conversion rate of 32% is one of the best in the league – and he drops deep to link up play, hold up the ball and create chances. He also uses his strength and 6ft 3in frame to his advantage; a crucial role in a Brentford side built on fast transitions.
His ability in the air (he is second for aerial duels won among strikers this season) and relentless work rate make him a nightmare for opponents. Ronny Deila, his former Club Brugge coach, summed him up perfectly, saying: “Defenders hate playing against him. He presses non-stop, runs all the time and kicks them.” It’s still early days, but the signs suggest Brentford’s recruitment team have done it again.
Thiago’s form has peaked at just the right time. With seven months to go before the World Cup, he has put himself on Carlo Ancelotti’s radar. The battle for places in the Brazil attack is fierce, with eight forwards in the Premier League alone competing for a spot alongside Vinicius Junior, Endrick, Rodrygo, Raphinha and others. The good news for Thiago is that he boasts the most impressive record: he is the top scoring Brazilian in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
“I’ve always dreamed of being able to play for Brazil,” he told the football journalist Josué Seixas. “I ask God that, when he takes me to the national team, I don’t want to go just for the sake of it. When I get there, I want to stay.” Thiago has already gone from laying bricks to leading the line for Brentford in the Premier League. Now he is in a great position to achieve his biggest dream.
This is an article by WhoScored
