Brazil’s Thiago broke the Brazilian Premier League record with his goal against Sunderland, but can Carlo Ancelotti’s side qualify for the World Cup?

Instead, they sit in fifth place after 21 games and are aiming for a place in Europe.

Their impressive form is down to Igor Thiago, who on Wednesday set the record for the most goals scored by a Brazilian player in a single season in the Premier League.

This double win puts him ahead of former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino, Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli and Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha (who reached the age of 15 in one season).

With 17 games remaining, Thiago may be able to distance himself from his fellow Brazilians.

Thiago, 24, has also closed the gap on Manchester City’s Erling Haaland in the Premier League goalscoring rankings, leaving him just four points behind the Norwegian forward.

Antoine Semenyo, who looks set to join City from Bournemouth, has scored 10 goals and is the only player to score in double figures.

Thiago shows his true potential

Thiago joined Brentford in the summer of 2024 after a 29-goal season with Brugge.

His debut season didn’t go as planned, as two knee injuries limited him to just eight games.

Although he was never able to find the back of the net during his limited pitch time in the 2024/25 season, he has shown his quality in the past six months.

He ranks high in most attacking metrics, leading the Premier League in shot conversion rate and big chance conversion rate.

Five of his league goals have come from penalties, but this season he is second only to Haaland in terms of shots on target (30) and big chances (26).

Igor Thiago’s 25/26 Premier League Stats

PL Rank 2nd in points (16) 4th in shots (2nd in shots on target 50) (30) 1st in shot conversion rate (32%) 2nd in total big chances (26) 1st in big chance conversions (61.5%) 2nd in expected goals (12.57)

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has praised Thiago as “sensational”, “indefatigable” and “invaluable to us”.

He also admitted that Thiago’s incredible form surprised even himself.

“I think anyone who thought they were this good probably wasn’t being honest,” Andrews said this week.

“Because I don’t know how many people come from the Bulgarian league to the Belgian league, are out for a year with an injury, and then have such an impact on the league.

“He was sensational. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.”

“We did it again!” – Thiago scores his second goal of the game within 20 minutes

Video credit: TNT Sports

Thiago’s goal means Brentford are tied for the most points in the Premier League after 33 out of 21 games.

Thiago said after the win against Sunderland: “I didn’t expect to score this much, but we just keep going.”

“We are having a good season, we are progressing well, we just have to keep going and we will achieve good results in the end.”

Will Thiago get a shot against Brazil at the World Cup?

Thiago has yet to play for the Selecao, but he appears to be primed to get fit for this summer’s World Cup.

Brazil have plenty of attacking options, including Vinicius Junior, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Cunha, Rodrygo and Rafinha, but no player has scored as many goals as Thiago this season.

He is the top scorer by a Brazilian player in Europe’s top five leagues and ranks behind Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé in the European goalscoring rankings.

Thiago has not won any caps for Brazil at any age group, but is sure to attract the attention of manager Carlo Ancelotti ahead of friendlies against France and Croatia in March.

“I always ask God that when He takes me to the national team, I don’t want to go just for the sake of it. When I get there, I want to stay.”

European Golden Boot Standings

Goals 1 – Erling Haaland 202 – Harry Kane 193 – Kylian Mbappe 184 – Igor Thiago 16

“The competition is very good because it means we have a very good attack and I am a good player. They are high-level players competing in the Premier League and it is very tough competition. My moment will come.”

“I’m not in a hurry and I’m not sad or anxious about anything, because I know that when my time comes, I’ll go and I’ll stay. There’s no doubt. I’m patient, I’m confident, and when the opportunity comes, I’m ready to accept it and never let it go.”

Brazil will begin their search for their sixth World Cup win against Morocco on June 13th.

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