He's the brilliant Brazilian who's breaking records and getting Brentford buzzing up the table

The Premier League season has been rife with surprise names this season, as the likes of Granit Xhaka, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Hugo Ekitike have outshone some of the more established names to light up the campaign. 

However, arguably the league's biggest surprise package has come at Brentford, where Igor Thiago has stepped into the spotlight and is leading the Bees' surge into European contention. 

On Wednesday night, the striker's two goals saw him reach 16 for the season and break Roberto Firmino's record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian in a single Premier League season, putting him just four behind Erling Haaland. 

His performances are now seeing him being tipped for a World Cup call-up for the national team, while the league's big hitters are already eyeing up a summer move for the 24-year-old. DAZN News charts the quick impact made by Brentford's latest goalscoring sensation. 

Brentford went into the season with many in the game tipping the club to struggle. They lost the man who had led them to the promised land and then comfortably kept them there, in Thomas Frank, and his replacement came in the eyebrow-raising form of set-piece coach Keith Andrews. 

It was massive shoes to fill for the former Premier League midfielder, and was hindered further by the sale of both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, two of the Bees' star performers last term and responsible for 60% of the side's league goals in 2024-25. 

Despite losing that amount for firepower, the club neglected to sign any replacements over the summer, with only Dango Ouattara added to their attack. Instead, Andrews and the club put faith in a forward already at the club, whose huge potential they believed was about to be fulfilled. 

Thiago moved to West London in 2024, signed from Club Brugge for what was then a club record of £30 million, having proven his goalscoring prowess in both Belgium and Bulgaria with Ludogorets.Getty Images

However, after injuring his meniscus in pre-season, the striker missed most of the campaign, managing just eight appearances across the term in a difficult beginning for the player. 

Yet, he was given the opportunity to prove his worth at the start of 2025-26, and it's one he immediately took with both hands. Trusted as the team's new focal point in attack under a new, young, and ambitious boss, Thiago netted his first goal for the club in the opening day win over Nottingham Forest and hasn't stopped scoring since. 

By November, he'd picked up the Premier League Player of the Month award after netting four goals in five games across the month, and he kicked off 2026 by first netting a hat-trick against Everton before adding a brace in the win over Sunderland to hit the record milestone for a Brazilian in a single Premier League season. 

More than filling the void 

His goals could easily be seen as Brentford once again successfully finding a successor in attack in the way they had to when they sold Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney, but that would be a discredit to both Andrews and the work Thiago has put in.

Since taking the reins from Frank, Andrews has moved to a more organised and aggressive style, with a directness in attack and his Brazilian striker at the centre of it.

He's shown already this season to be a striker of many facets, scoring goals via the end of crosses, seeking opportunities in the box and running on to long balls, all in equal effect. With the pace and creativity around him of Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter to aid the powerful hitman. 

Thiago has shown he's also comfortable with either foot, leaving defenders confused as to which side he might strike, while no player who has attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than his 59.1%. 

If stats like that are your thing, there's more from the Brazilian, too. Only Erling Haaland has scored more opening goals for a side this season, with Thiago on seven, and closing in on the Bees record of nine from Mbeumo last year. He also ranks in the top three for most sprints and leads the way with the most high-intensity pressures in the league - showcasing his work off the ball, too. 

One to watch 

For all those stats, the one that matters most is the goals, and right now, only a striking Viking is keeping Thiago away from the Premier League's Golden Boot, but there's plenty of time for him to hunt Haaland down. 

If the first half of the season is anything to go by, then you wouldn't rule it out. Praised by his manager after his performance against Sunderland, Andrews spoke about how his forward 'earned his journey' and how 'he's had to graft' to get there. 

Well, the work is paying off, because not only could it fire Brentford to top half finish many didn't expect, but he could see him gatecrash Brazil's World Cup squad and find himself leading the line in North America this summer. 

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

Soccer fans in Canada can watch every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

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