Igor Thiago is a Brazilian striker who plays in Belgian football, more precisely, at Club Brugge. In Brazil, he was unveiled by Cruzeiro and ended up being the first sale of the SAF (Football Anonymous Society) era at the team, managed by former player Ronaldo. He was negotiated with Ludogorets for 3.6 million reais at the time.
But, before becoming a football player and standing out in Europe, Thiago overcame major challenges in his personal life. Born in the peripheral zone of Gama, in Brasília, along with his mother, his country and his three brothers. When he was 13, his father died, which meant that his mother, Maria Diva do Nascimento, had to work much harder to feed and help the family.
“My mother worked as street sweeper in Brasília at the time. When we lost my father, she had to work hard to help us. It was an example of overcoming difficulties, but from then on I saw that I wanted to give her the world, help in any way I could and take away my family from this situation”, says Thiago.
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Until then, football had not entered 100% of Thiago’s life. It started when he watched his older brother play. It was there that the sport began to arouse the player’s interest.
“I saw my brother happy to play. He wasn’t always a champion, or scored goals, but he was always happy to practice the game. Then I wanted to know what that feeling was like, what motivated my brother to play so much, even without the certainty of a award or something like that. It was at that moment that I fell in love with football and decided that I would make a living from it”, he remembers.
He started in Brasília schools until he got the chance to play for Verê FC, a club from Paraná, where he was state champion in the Under-17 category and caught the attention of Cruzeiro.
He was called for a test by Raposa, where he was approved and stayed there. Until, in 2021, he made his professional debut for the club. He was in the squad that competed in Série B of the Brazilian Championship, and made 65 games, scoring 10 goals for Raposa. In 2022 he was sold to Ludogorets.
“The moments I lived on Cruzeiro are forever in my memory. It was a period of much personal learning, but I am very grateful to the Club. If today I can help my family, give my wife and children a good life, it was because Cruzeiro opened the doors for me at the first moment. Today I see it as an opportunity for me to mature on and off the field”, declares the player.
In Europe, Thiago was instrumental for Ludogorets in the Bulgarian League titles (twice), Bulgarian Cup and Bulgarian Super Cup. In his first experience in the old continent, Thiago made 55 games and scored 21 goals, in addition to having participated in another 11 with assists.
Now, newly arrived at Club Brugge, Thiago finds himself in a traditional club in Europe, which is disputing the UEFA Conference League. In addition to the Belgian Championship and National Cup.
“I adapted well to Europe and football here. I want to continue playing the sport I love, winning and, above all, fighting for my family. When I play I always have a lot of desire to win, because I consider myself a winner, both in life and on the field I’m still fulfilling my dream!”, concludes Thiago.
