Igor Thiago: From Brazil – Why Brentford player’s story is so special

Brentford are watching one of the Premier League’s most remarkable stories unfold inside their squad. Globo Esporte has provided a detailed account of how Igor Thiago’s career began far from the spotlight in Brazil.

The striker was named Premier League Player of the Month for November and has quickly become one of the league’s most productive forwards.

Only Erling Haaland has scored more goals so far. However, as the Brazilian outlet explains, Igor Thiago’s journey started far from elite academies or modern training centres, shaped instead by rejection, regional football and personal hardship.

Rejected early, opportunity found far from the spotlight

Born in Brazil’s Midwest, Igor Thiago was first spotted playing on dirt pitches by former local striker Tico, now a scout. At the time, Tico worked for Athletico Paranaense and tried to take the teenager to the club.

“I was working for Athletico and always came to Brasília to scout players. I consider this region a great producer of talent,” Tico told Globo Esporte. “On one of those trips, I found Thiago when he was 15. My first idea was to take him to Athletico, but the academy staff felt he was not ready.”

The rejection was not isolated. Tico tried again the following year and received the same answer. That was when Verê, a small club from a Southern state with fewer than 8,000 inhabitants, entered the picture.

“The club president called me by coincidence and said he needed a centre-forward,” Tico recalled. “He said the team was good but lacked a striker. I told him: ‘I have this centre-forward.’”

Rapid impact and first steps as a professional

At Verê, Igor Thiago finally received his first real opportunity. He became the club’s top scorer during their historic Under-17 state title, scoring 13 goals in the competition, including twice in the first leg of the final.

Bruno Saymon, his first coach, still remembers the impact. “Igor Thiago was a big surprise. A friend brought him and that was his first chance at a club,” he said. “He was very dedicated, hardworking, polite and always willing to learn. That season, he was one of the highlights of the team. He scored many goals and we became champions.”

Standing 1.91m tall, his physical profile was already evident at a young age. “He always had a lot of physical power and aggression to press, not just to score,” Saymon explained. “He was very committed defensively as well.”

That development quickly earned him minutes with the senior side. Igor Thiago made three professional appearances during Verê’s campaign in the Paraná third division, gaining early exposure to adult football.

Loss, work and football as a way out

Away from the pitch, life was far from easy. Igor Thiago lost his father at the age of 13 and needed to help support his family. His mother worked as a street cleaner, while he took jobs as a bricklayer’s assistant, market vendor and leaflet distributor.

“He always accepted the rules and was willing to help with anything,” Saymon said. “I joke that at the end of the season he was helping cut the grass at the training ground. We knew about the family’s financial situation, so football was his dream to change their lives.”

He often walked eight kilometres from his home, built on an informal settlement, to attend training sessions. That determination would soon open doors beyond regional football.

From Europe to Brentford, and growing interest

Cruzeiro signed Igor Thiago in 2019, and he reached the first team the following year, but failed to convince the local crowd. In 2022, he moved to Ludogorets in Bulgaria before joining Club Brugge in 2023.

In Belgium, he delivered his breakthrough European season, scoring 29 goals in 55 matches. Brentford secured his signing at the end of last year, and the adaptation has been immediate.

The striker has already scored 12 goals in 17 matches this season and has become central to the Bees’ attacking structure. His form has not gone unnoticed. Reports in Brazil say Tottenham have asked about his availability, only to be informed that Brentford would only consider a deal around €70 million.

For Tico, the rise feels extraordinary but deserved. “I believe he will go to the World Cup,” he said. “Brazil does not have many centre-forwards. He is a different type of striker. Strong, aggressive and willing to fight.”

What happens next remains open. Still, for Brentford, the picture is already clear. Igor Thiago is no longer just a late bloomer from Brazil.

He is one of the Premier League’s most talked-about forwards, with a background that explains why nothing has come easily.