Igor Thiago Religion

What religion is Igor Thiago?

Igor Thiago is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a devout Christian. He follows the Roman Catholic tradition. He said in an interview with Missoes Urgente that his achievements are not solely the result of his efforts. In an interview, he said, “Everything I am achieving today is first and foremost thanks to God,” highlighting his family’s support throughout his career.

Igor Thiago is a striker for Brentford as well as the Brazil national team, and he previously played for Ludogorets Razgrad and Club Brugge. With Ludogorets, Thiago won back-to-back Bulgarian First League titles for 2021–22 and 2022–23, as well as the 2023 Bulgarian Cup and 2022 Bulgarian Supercup. In February 2024, Igor signed a five-year, £30 million deal with Brentford.

Contract & salary

Igor Thiago’s current contract with Brentford FC, signed in February 2026, extends through the 2030-2031 season. Under this agreement, he earns a weekly wage of £75,000, amounting to an annual base salary of £3,900,000. Over the course of his career, Thiago’s club salaries have accumulated to approximately £7,100,000.

At the current exchange rate, £1 is equivalent to approximately $1.34. Therefore, Thiago’s weekly wage translates to about $100,500, and his annual salary is approximately $5,226,000. His total career earnings from club salaries are estimated to be around $9.5 million as of this writing.

Early life

Igor Thiago Nascimento Rodrigues was born in Gama, Federal District, Brazil. He was raised by his mother, Maria Diva, alongside his siblings. When Thiago was 13 years old, he lost his father, a tragedy that had a significant impact on his family. To help support his mother, who worked as a street cleaner, he took on various jobs, including construction work as a bricklayer’s assistant, odd jobs at local fairs, and distributing flyers.

Unlike many professional footballers, Thiago did not initially dream of a career in football. He began playing at Gremio Ocidental, where his older brother was already a player. He first played futsal and later attended trials with several clubs before earning a place in the under-17 team of Verê, a club in the state of Paraná, at the age of 16. He later joined the youth academy of Cruzeiro in 2019.

Cruzeiro

On 22 January 2020, Igor Thiago made his professional debut for Cruzeiro as an 18-year-old when he started in the club’s Campeonato Mineiro match against Boa Esporte. During his three years with the club, he established himself as a promising young forward, making regular appearances in both league and cup competitions. Thiago remained with Cruzeiro until early 2022, having made 64 appearances across all competitions and scoring a total of 10 goals.

Ludogorets Razgrad

Before the conclusion of the transfer window in early 2022, Thiago signed a contract with the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad following a series of rumors. He initially joined Ludogorets II in order to adapt to the Bulgarian league, making his debut and scoring his first goal in an April match against Litex Lovech. A week later, he drew further attention by scoring a brace in a 3–2 away defeat against Dobrudzha Dobrich. Thiago’s good start for the second team granted him a call-up to the first team, where he made his debut in a league match against CSKA Sofia, coming on as a substitute and marking his final integration into the senior squad with a goal. He remained with Ludogorets for the duration of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, winning back-to-back Bulgarian First League titles, the 2022 Bulgarian Supercup, and the 2023 Bulgarian Cup, having made 55 total games and scoring a total of 21 goals.

Club Brugge

In June 2023, Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge signed Igor Thiago for a reported €7.9 million, a record fee received by a Bulgarian club at the time. He settled immediately, scoring 29 goals and providing six assists as Brugge won the Jupiler Pro League for the 19th time and reached the UEFA Conference League semi-finals.

Brentford

In July 2024, Igor Thiago signed a five-year contract with the Premier League club Brentford. His debut season was disrupted by injury, limiting him to just eight Premier League appearances without a goal. His 2025–26 campaign, however, has been one of the most remarkable in recent Premier League history. He became the first Brentford player ever to win Premier League Player of the Month, claiming the award in November 2025, then won it again in January 2026. He concluded the season with 22 goals, finishing second only to Erling Haaland in the scoring charts. He broke the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian player in a single Premier League season and was nominated for the EA Sports Player of the Season award. He also won Brentford’s Supporters’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards at the end of the season.

International career

Thiago began his international aspirations eligible for multiple countries, having received a Bulgarian passport in 2023. This documentation made him available to play for Bulgaria, subject to a five-year residency requirement, alongside his native Brazil. In January 2024, he received a call-up for the Brazil U23 squad but declined it, reportedly to keep his international options open, despite stating it would be a dream to represent Brazil at the international level. However, Thiago’s exceptional club form soon changed his trajectory. On March 16, 2026, sitting as the Premier League’s second-highest scorer behind only Erling Haaland, Thiago earned his first call-up to the senior Brazil national team for friendlies against France and Croatia. Later that year, he was again a member of Brazil’s squad when he was selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

Igor Thiago is married and has two young children. He relocated his family to England when he joined Brentford in 2024. Additionally, Thiago holds dual Brazilian and Bulgarian citizenship.

In addition to playing football, Thiago gave a substantial amount of money to the Ludogorets Academy in Bulgaria after making a big career move to the Premier League in order to help provide resources for the upcoming generation of young players.