Igor Thiago: The rise of Brentford's goal machine challenging Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot and battling for Brazil starting spot at the World Cup

Thiago grew up in Gama, Brazil, but didn't immediately pick up the football bug. “I was eight or nine when I started playing,” he recently told Brentford's official website. “I gradually started to gain the love of football. It mostly was my brother taking me at the weekend to games. I then saw Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Manchester United and that was the biggest thing. I saw Ronaldo playing and I said, ‘I want to be like him’."

He started honing his skills at local club Vere FC, but Thiago's journey towards the professional game was put on hold after he tragically lost his father aged just 13. He would go on to work as a grocery carrier and bricklayer to support his mother, which shaped his strong character: "It helped me as a man, and it helped me as person. It helped me to appreciate the little and big things in life, because today I look at my life and see that I'm privileged with everything I have."

Cruzeiro eventually handed Thiago his big break as an 18-year-old, and he scored 10 goals in 64 appearances for the club, attracting attention from Europe in the process. Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets snapped him up in March 2022, and he quickly adapted to life on a new continent.

Thiago notched a combined 32 goals and assists as Ludogorets claimed successive league titles, along with the Bulgarian Cup and Supercup. By the summer of 2023, Thiago had outgrown Ludogorets, and they sold him to Club Brugge for €8 million - a Parva Liga record fee.

Thiago repaid Brugge's investment tenfold in his first and only campaign in Belgium. He scored 29 goals in 55 appearances across all competitions in 2023-24, with 18 of those coming in a prolific run through December and January, as Brugge clinched the Pro League crown and reached the semi-finals of the Conference League.

The Brazilian picked up the Young Player of the Season award in the latter competition, with former Brugge boss Ronny Deila left delighted by his impact: "Thiago brings something to the team we didn’t have before. Defenders hate playing against him. He presses non-stop, runs all the time and kicks them. Apart from that, he’s also a top bloke, both on the pitch and in the dressing room. He should be capable of playing for a top outfit."

Brentford gave Thiago the chance to make good on that billing when breaking their transfer record to bring him to the Gtech Community Stadium that summer in a £30m ($40m) deal. Frank described it as a "proactive" move from the club after resigning himself to the exit of Toney, adding: "Thiago is a very exciting striker who fits the role in our team. He is hard-working and a very good pressing player. He is also a physical presence, very good in the box and can link the play. There is big potential."

Unfortunately, a cruel injury blow would prevent Thiago from unlocking that potential in what turned out to be a testing start to his life in England.

In his very first game for Brentford, a 5-2 pre-season win over AFC Wimbledon, Thiago suffered a meniscus injury, and immediately went under the knife. He was forced to sit out Brentford's first 11 Premier League games of 2024-25 as a result, eventually making his competitive debut in a 0-0 draw with Everton on November 23.

The Cruziero academy graduate featured from the bench again in subsequent outings against Leicester City and Aston Villa before impressing on his first start as Brentford beat Newcastle 4-2 at the Gtech. He was then sidelined again, however, after picking up an infection in his knee, much to the frustration of Frank.

"The risk of getting a joint infection is very, very small, but apparently it's the opposite when you are a Brentford player; instead of a two per cent chance it's a 98 per cent chance," said the Bees boss.

Thiago did not return until early May, and was only fit enough to make cameo appearances in Brentford's final four league fixtures. From the outside, it looked like a case of a dream transfer turning into a nightmare, but remarkably, Thiago was able to find enough positives that made him confident about his future.

"It was a big learning season for me, learning my body and how everything reacts. It was a hard season in terms of not being able to play, but a good season for learning how my body works," he said. "I thought moving to England would be harder than it was, to be honest, but everything went well."

Thiago scored the first goal of the Andrews era in a pre-season clash with Gil Vicente, and finally opened his competitive account in Brentford's opening game of the new Premier League campaign, converting a penalty in a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest. He doubled his tally in a 2-1 reversal at newly-promoted Sunderland, powering a header in off the bar after stealing in between two defenders to meet a Frank Onyeka cross, but Brentford were languishing down in 17th towards the end of September with only four points amassed from a possible 15.

The tide turned, though, when Andrews' side welcomed Manchester United to the Gtech. Brentford pulled off a thrilling 3-1 upset, and Thiago was the star of the show. He rifled a thunderbolt of a half-volley into the top corner to open the scoring before making it 2-0 with a reactive close-range finish inside the first 20 minutes, while excelling throughout the contest with his skills as a target man, bullying the United defence into submission.

Since then, Thiago has been an unstoppable force of nature. He also scored the winning goal against Liverpool in October, and bagged two more braces in victories over Newcastle and Burnley. Even when on the periphery of games, the towering striker always poses a huge threat, as the Clarets learned to their peril on Saturday. Thiago came to life in the final 10 minutes of the match, first dispatching another penalty before smashing in the all-important second goal from a Jordan Henderson delivery, albeit with the aid of a deflection.

Thiago has built up a good relationship with Henderson, as well as fellow attackers Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade, which is reaping great rewards for the Bees. He is clinical when he gets a sight of goal, both on the ground and in the air, but is also a selfless centre-forward who looks to bring others into play at every opportunity.

"Everything we stand for can be seen in abundance in Thiago," Andrews said after the Burnley win. "I just love the way he plays the game."

Thiago has scored more penalties than any other player in the Premier League this term (five), but is also third for goals from open play behind Haaland and Brighton's Danny Welbeck. The statistics suggest his incredible form will continue, too, because he ranks second for shots on target (19). 

Incredibly, Brentford's new talisman, who now boasts his own fan chant based on Spandau Ballet's iconic track 'Gold', is only four goals away from equalling the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign, which is currently shared by Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha (15). It would be a huge shock if Thiago doesn't surpass that mark given Brentford still have 25 games left to play, and it probably won't be long before he is rubbing shoulders with Martinelli and Cunha in the national team, either. Indeed, Andrews has already confirmed that Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been in touch to discuss Thiago's progress.

"He's a joy to coach and be around. He savours every second he's on the grass and in the games he's a real competitor. There's been contact from Brazil," Andrews revealed last week. "They're very aware of his qualities and it's a big dream for him. So hopefully we can work together to one day make that happen."

Ancelotti is blessed with strength in depth upfront that few other countries can match. Alongside Cunha and Martinelli, household names such as Vinicius Jr, Raphinha and Rodrygo are all competing for minutes, along with Chelsea wonderkid Estevao, while injury-plagued legend Neymar has an outside chance of making the World Cup squad if he can prove his fitness at Santos in the coming months.

That does not mean that Thiago's dream is unrealistic, though. The battle for the role of Brazil's first-choice striker is wide open, with Richarlison and Joao Pedro still struggling for consistency at Tottenham and Chelsea, respectively, and former Botafogo man Igor Jesus yet to find his feet at Nottingham Forest.

Ancelotti could opt to play with a false nine next summer, but as it stands, Thiago may be his best option. Brazil can turn on 'Joga Bonito' mode and blow away the lesser teams at the newly-expanded tournament, but against the more well-drilled sides, Thiago's presence could make the difference. When the ball goes up to him, it sticks, and he rarely makes the wrong decision.

His spatial awareness is an unsung aspect of his game, too. Thiago knows instinctively when and where to make penetrative runs. With a host of world-class players providing service, he could run riot in North America. Of course, it's impossible to say how Thiago would cope with the step up to the most prestigious stage in football and the pressure it brings, but he's exceeded expectations throughout his career, driven by unbreakable self-belief.

“It’s my biggest goal,” Thiago affirmed when quizzed on a potential Brazil call-up. “When I reach there, which I will, it’ll mean I’ve made it.” With that elite mentality, anything is possible.