Tenth in the Premier League, Brentford are off to a good start to the season. The club coached by Keith Andrews – who replaced historic coach Thomas Frank – has however experienced significant departures with its two best attackers. Bryan Mbeumo has joined Manchester United while Yoane Wissa has headed to Newcastle. While the Bees lost two players who scored 20 and 19 goals respectively in the Premier League last year, we could be concerned about the lack of recruitment of a big name in attack. Brentford had opted for the recruitment of Dango Ouattara (Bournemouth) and the loan of Reiss Nelson (Arsenal). But the one who wears the Bees this season was already at the club last year, it is Igor Thiago.
A journey strewn with pitfalls
Arriving at Brentford in the summer of 2024 for 33 million euros from FC Brugge when an agreement had been reached six months earlier, Igor Thiago was rewarded for an express explosion, but not really planned. Born in Gama in the Brazilian capital region, Igor Thiago lost his father at 13 and was the sole provider of his mother Maria, who was a garbage collector. Working in a supermarket, but also as a mason, he was not considered a great hope and the dream of becoming a professional seemed far from coming to fruition. “When I was 13, my father died. I started working at the fair, as a fruit bearer. I also worked as a mason. I worked in several jobs when I was younger, before becoming a professional footballer and having the opportunity to play abroad. It helped me as a man and as a person. It helped me appreciate the small and big things in life, because today I look at my life and see how lucky I am“, he confided in an interview for the Brentford site.
However, with the young people of EC Vêre he will completely explode and join a monument of Brazilian football in difficulty: Cruzeiro. Os Celestes were then in Serie B when he made his professional debut during the 2019/2020 season, he spent two and a half seasons in the backroom of Brazilian football (10 goals in 64 matches) before heading to Europe. Except that the big teams are not going to come forward for a fairly unknown player and it is on the Bulgarian side where he will land, at Ludogorets Razgrad. Best club in the country which has dominated the championship since 2012, Ludogorets allowed Igor Thiago to quickly explode. After the first six months of adaptations, he will deliver an extraordinary 2022/2023 season with 20 goals in 53 matches and a Cup/Championship/Supercup treble. Enough to convince FC Bruges to believe in him and pay 11 million euros. Champion with the Belgian club in his first season, he will panic the scorers with 29 goals and 6 assists in 55 matches and Brentford will quickly bet on him. Agreeing in the winter of 2024 with the Belgian club, the Bees paid 33 million euros for the Brazilian striker.
The surprise of the season
The first Brazilian player in the history of Brentford, Igor Thiago arrived with high expectations since he was then the most expensive transfer in the history of Brentford (beaten this summer by Dango Ouatara who arrived for €42.8 million). “I am very happy and very proud to be the first Brazilian here at Brentford. I think it will be very important to introduce some of the Brazilian culture, football and energy within the club. I think the most important thing is the goals. But I also want to contribute positively to managing pressure, helping my teammates as best I can. I want to make history here at Brentford.”he announced upon his arrival. Except that last season was not what he imagined. Affected in the meniscus and experiencing major knee problems, he hardly played with 169 minutes of play in 8 appearances. Not enough to give a definitive opinion, but it looked like a potential flop. He has since brushed aside the doubts.
With the summer of movement experienced by Brentford, Igor Thiago was installed as the new offensive referent by the new coach Keith Andrews and it is working. Tall, this 1m91 player stands out for his physical power and his heading. Physical qualities which allowed him to pile up the goals. This season, he has 11 goals in 13 Premier League matches, including doubles against Manchester United and Newcastle and a goal against Liverpool. This Saturday against Burnley, he saw double again. Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle are already interested in his profile for the future according to the Mirror. Top Brazilian scorer in the 5 biggest championships, the one who has never played for the national team is aiming for a place with the Auriverdes for the 2026 World Cup.I always dreamed of playing for Brazil. I pray to God that when I am selected for the national team, I will not go there out of simple obligation. Once selected, I want to stay there“, he also confided to sports journalist Josué Seixas. Accustomed to moving mountains to achieve his dreams, Igor Thiago has an admirable career and presents himself as one of the great stories of this 2025/2026 season.
