World Cup, national team and idol Ronaldo: exclusive interview with Igor Thiago

2nd top scorer in the league 

Igor Thiago has been one of the Premier League’s biggest sensations this season. With four months to go until the World Cup, the English top-flight’s second-highest scorer with 16 goals is emerging as a strong candidate to wear the Brazilian national team shirt at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer – a dream that seemed distant in the life of a boy who had to travel 20 kilometres to train in his city.

“For three years of my life, I ran 10 kilometres to get to the training ground,” said the Brazilian centre forward in an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt. “I ran there and back every day. I had this determination, I had this faith that I was going to succeed. I didn’t have money for the bus, so I had to run those ten kilometres to get there. This was the only way for me to realise my dreams. I would run those ten kilometres and when I arrived, Sérgio (Gonçalves), the team’s coach, would still make me do ten laps of the field to warm up with the other boys. He used me as an example to inspire other boys who had a much better life than mine. And I did it without complaining. But that was God in my life. Hard work pays off.”

Born in Gama, Federal District, Thiago grew up in the city of Ocidental, in the interior of Goiás and close to the federal capital Brasília. After losing his father at the age of 13, he had to help financially at home, doing various jobs, such as weeding plots, working at the vegetable market, delivering flyers, washing cars and assisting a bricklayer. “A lot of people joke about my age, saying that I don’t seem like I’m 24 because of the ideas I have, that my conversations don’t match my age. But because I lost my father very early, I had to grow up mentally earlier, I had to see and live life in a different way. I had to mature very early.”

Rejection at Cruzeiro

Thiago’s life in football began late. After failing trials at Novorizontino, Mirassol and Athletico Paranaense, his first opportunity came at the age of 17 in the small town of Verê, in the interior of Paraná, a town with less than 10,000 inhabitants and 1,500 kilometres from where he lived. At Verê, he was the top scorer in the Brazilian Under-17 Championship and began to attract interest from other teams. One of them was Grêmio, the club where his attacking partner Guilherme Belea had been signed. Thiago instead went to Cruzeiro, thanks to a short 30-second video that ended up in the hands of director Amarildo Ribeiro and Under-20 coach Ricardo Resende.

At his new club,Thiago had to overcome rejection at first. Because he had not developed in the youth categories due to his late start, he had to apply himself more to training to overcome these deficiencies, which were the target of judgement by some people at the club. “I felt a little rejected at first,” Thiago admitted. “There was a lot of judgement, a lot of people said I didn’t know how to finish, that I shouldn’t be there. But what no one understood was that I didn’t have any youth training. In my life, I’ve always had to learn things very quickly and just by watching. My first chance in football was already in the under-20s.

“Many people didn’t have the patience to understand that I didn’t have that training in the youth categories. But God gave me this ability to pick things up very quickly. I adapt very quickly. A lot of people asked how I got into Cruzeiro, if it was an agent’s scheme, if my father was rich. No one knew my reality, my story. But then I managed to show my football skills and made my debut with a goal, and people started to understand me better. A lot of people judge those who live in the suburbs, but they don’t understand the reality of the place.

“They have a wrong image of the suburbs. But that’s what I say. Nothing is impossible for God. I don’t mean to disparage anyone, but it’s one thing to be a player who lives in São Paulo, in Rio de Janeiro, in a big city with big clubs. It’s another thing to live in a place with poor conditions, which doesn’t give you opportunities to succeed. I lived in the interior of Brazil. Success was something that many people considered impossible. But God uses the unlikely to show that the impossible is possible.”

Relationship with idol ‘R9’ Ronaldo

Three months before Thiago was sold by Cruzeiro, Ronaldo Fenômeno became the club’s president. One of the greatest players in the history of world football bought the Minas Gerais club at the end of 2021 and then sold it in April 2024. Thiago had little contact with President Ronaldo, whom he treats as an idol and one of the great inspirations in football. “Ronaldo is the centre forward I admire most,” Thiago stated. “I didn’t see him play much because of my age. But I always watched and still watch videos of him. Everyone always talks about Ronaldo. There’s no way around it. He’s the man! He’s one of my idols. I only saw Ronaldo once or twice at Cruzeiro, but it was something remarkable. It really touched me. I was very nervous when I met him, I didn’t know what to do, what to say, what to ask.”

Success in Europe and lessons at Brentford

Thiago was sold by Cruzeiro in February 2022 for €1.2m. He spent a year and a half in Bulgaria and made a big impact, scoring 21 goals and providing 11 assists in 55 games, a performance that caught the attention of Club Brugge, who then signed him for €11m. At his new club, he enjoyed further success. He scored 29 goals and made six assists in 55 games. His spell in Belgian football lasted just one season. The Brazilian’s goals attracted the interest of Brentford, who paid €33m for his services to bring him to the Premier League.

This time, success was slow in coming. In his first year, Thiago suffered knee injuries and played only eight games, without scoring any goals. It was the first time the centre forward had been injured in his career. His time away from the pitch made him reflect on his life and grow closer to his family. “I felt those two injuries very deeply,” he admitted. “I had never had a problem like that in my career. My body had never suffered an injury, let alone two in one year. It was something that made me feel helpless and sad. But I learned a lot in the process.

“I learned to value my family and to see life in a different way. I started to enjoy football more and to enjoy being on the pitch. Today I play with more love, without thinking about the mistakes I might make. I needed to enjoy life as a player, I couldn’t let little things frustrate me and take me out of the game mentally. I learned that I have to enjoy every moment, even the bad ones, because they make you grow. Today, my greatest joy is coming home and playing with my children. It’s a joy when I arrive and see them running to hug me, to play with me, to imitate my goal celebrations. That’s special.”

The most difficult challenges in life are now in the past for Thiago. Even without being one of the country’s giants, Brentford have surprised everyone this season. They are seventh in the table with 36 points, three behind Liverpool. The club’s success is largely due to the performance of their no.9. “I describe this moment as a lot of hard work,” Thiago explained. “God has planned this for my life and allowed me to experience this very special moment that I had never experienced in my life in a league as big as the Premier League. Achieving these numbers in the Premier League is something that demands a lot, but it is very positive. It gives me a lot of strength and motivation to continue doing my job.”

The Brazilian with the most goals ever in an English top-flight season, Thiago has 16 goals in the Premier League – only four fewer than top scorer Erling Haaland. This is the first time that a Brazilian player has surpassed the 15-goal mark in a Premier League season, a feat previously achieved by Roberto Firmino, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli. The numbers are surprising, but Thiago says he was already expecting a standout season and that his goal target has not yet been met: “I always have my objectives in mind. But I don’t like to talk to anyone about it. I keep it to myself. It’s a goal I keep to myself.

“I have a number and I hope to reach it soon. The word of God says that nothing is impossible, so why would I set anything less than the impossible to achieve? God is on my side. That motivates me to achieve what I want here. Talking about numbers is superficial. I want more, I always dream more. I want great things in my career, in my life. But I don’t like to talk about it. I’ll just tell you what my goal target is at the end of the year. I think it’s more interesting that way.”

Igor Thiago and the World Cup dream

Thiago is close to realising the biggest dream of his life: wearing the Brazilian national team shirt and playing in a World Cup. Next month, Brazil will face France on 26 March and Croatia on 31 March in the United States. It will be coach Carlo Ancelotti’s last matches before the 2026 World Cup. Despite his Premier League commitments, Thiago makes no secret of his desire to be included in the Italian coach’s squad for Brazil.

“Of course (I’m thinking about the national team),” he stated. “God has a purpose in everyone’s life. If it is God’s will and coach Ancelotti’s, it will be a pleasure and an honour to represent my country. It is an indescribable feeling to represent Brazil and experience this moment. I can’t even explain it. This World Cup feeling is very exciting. I am very hopeful of being part of the squad. I have always dreamed of playing in a World Cup and that is close to coming true. It was something I only saw other people experiencing on television, but now I am close to experiencing it too. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that this could happen.”

The 2026 World Cup could be the crowning achievement of Thiago’s career and his journey of overcoming adversity. Despite his poor childhood, he has fond memories of Brazil’s games and the time when he was just a fan: “The World Cup is very memorable. I remember painting the street, seeing the whole city painted green and yellow. Everything was World Cup. Our whole family would get together to watch the games, everyone cheering and then crying over the defeat. I remember crying a lot during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. I prayed that Brazil would be the champion.

“But now it’s my turn. I want to be able to make Brazil’s dream come true. God has given me many opportunities. The World Cup is a moment that marks your whole life. Since I was a child, I have dreamed of wearing the Brazilian national team jersey and playing in a World Cup.” During the World Cup qualification, Brazil has had difficulty finding a centre forward. Endrick, Cunha, João Pedro, Evanilson, Igor Jesus, Vitor Roque, Richarlison and Pedro were all called up, but failed to establish themselves in the team. Now it is Thiago’s turn. “I will be the number 9 that Brazil needs. The only thing I know how to do in life is score goals,” he concluded.