Few would have predicted at the start of the season that Brentford’s Igor Thiago would be just one goal behind Erling Haaland heading into the business end of the season. The Brazilian has played 32 matches, scoring 21 goals, which gives him an impressive goal-per-90-minute ratio of 0.69.
Thiago had never really been an out-and-out goalscorer when he first started out in Brazil. For example, before he headed to Europe to play for Ludogorets, he had scored just 10 goals in 64 appearances in Brazil. However, he was still a youngster growing into the team and was also playing second-tier football with Cruzeiro at the time.
He then moved to Ludogorets, where he enjoyed his first real stint as a regular in Europe during his second season, after spending much of his first campaign with the second team. As he developed further, his first full season as a starter in the first team was very impressive.
In 52 matches, he scored 20 goals, demonstrating that his goal-scoring form had improved since his time in Brazil and putting him regularly in goal-scoring predictions on apps like bizbet and Sky Sports for those immersed in the lower leagues around Europe.
After two seasons in Bulgaria, he moved to Club Brugge in Belgium, where he once again impressed. In the 2023–2024 season, he played 55 matches, scoring 29 goals, with seven of those coming in European competition.
This prompted Brentford to make him a club record signing for a fee of around £30 million.
His start to life in England didn’t go to plan after he picked up an injury in the pre-season of 2024. Thiago had to wait a while to return to action. He played eight matches in his first season for Brentford, missing the majority of the campaign.
The club record signing then had a full pre-season behind him in 2025 and has seemed to hit the ground running from the very start.
After scoring single-digit goals against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Sunderland, he scored his first brace for the club in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United. He then added further braces against Newcastle and Burnley, before scoring a hat-trick against Everton at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In Brentford’s next match, things got even better for the Brazilian as he scored another brace against Sunderland. He had to wait a little longer for his next brace, but it came against West Ham in the FA Cup in a 3-2 defeat.
He was at it again at the weekend against Everton, scoring twice as the Bees drew 2-2 at home to the Merseyside club.
Thiago’s 21 goals this year make him the highest-scoring Brazilian in a single Premier League season.
He has a strong frame that allows him to compete with centre-backs, winning both aerial and ground duels. He’s perfect if Brentford want to go direct, something that is becoming more common in the modern game, with set-pieces and corners a key asset.
Off the ball, his high-intensity work rate allows him to press from the front and keep Brentford working hard. He’s more dynamic than a traditional target man, able to run, stretch defences, and get in behind the back four due to his physical presence. Rather than just being a static focal point, his ability to occupy defenders allows Brentford to create space for wide players and midfielders, meaning he doesn’t always need the ball to influence a game.
His finishing consistency was slightly weak at the start of his career, but he’s slowly improved that and has become a key figure for Brentford. Not many thought Brentford could replace Ivan Toney with such presence, but they’ve managed to do so.
He’s adapted to the Premier League perfectly, stepping up from the boy in Brazil to the player who developed in Bulgaria and Belgium, and now into one of the top strikers in the league this season. Still just 24, there’s plenty more to come from Thiago.
He made his Brazil debut in the recent internationals and even managed to get on the scoresheet in a 3-1 victory over Croatia in Orlando. He looks like he could be a real asset for Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil heading into the World Cup