First it was Ivan Toney. Then it was Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. Now it is Igor Thiago. Brentford seem to have an uncanny knack of replacing one brilliant goalscorer with another.

This season, only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (14) has scored more goals in the Premier League than Thiago's eight - after the Brazilian netted twice against Newcastle on Sunday. Harvey Barnes had opened the scoring at Gtech Community Stadium before Kevin Schade equalised for the hosts. Thiago coolly netted from the spot to put the Bees in front - and then slotted home late on to seal their 3-1 victory.

His pace, strength and natural goalscoring instinct have helped Brentford climb up to 12th in the table after a tricky start - with five wins from 11 games. Uncapped by Brazil, Thiago's form must mean he is on the radar of head coach Carlo Ancelotti - but the 24-year-old is also eligible to play for Bulgaria.

"He has been pretty good, hasn't he? He is growing in stature and confidence and he has been pretty sensational this season," said Brentford boss Keith Andrews, who replaced Thomas Frank in the summer. "We are hungry to achieve and we have a hungry group. That is really important. Thiago is a good example of that. He's in a great vein of form, loving life and loving football."

Thiago turned down the opportunity to represent Brazil at under-23 level in an attempt to keep his international options open. He has previously expressed a desire to represent the Selecao, external, telling the Daily Mail: "I've always dreamed of being able to play for Brazil. 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."

But competition in attack for Ancelotti's side is incredibly high - with Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Raphinha among the options. Other names in the frame include Willian Estevao, Richarlison, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro, who are all currently playing in the Premier League. But with nine goals across all competitions this season - more than of the other players mentioned - Thiago could become impossible for Ancelotti to ignore.

His match-winning double took the forward to eight Premier League goals for the 2025-26 campaign - just one short of Brazil's called-up strikers combined. It hasn't always been plain sailing for Thiago, who was signed for £30m from Club Brugge in July 2024 to replace Brentford's outgoing talisman Toney. However, the Brazilian endured an injury-hit first campaign in west London and ended without a goal in eight appearances.

Mbeumo and Wissa were on hand to fill the void with 40 goals between them - but their exits this summer, to Manchester United and Newcastle respectively, sparked fears about the impact on the Bees' attack. Thiago appears determined to make up for lost time - and overcoming adversity is nothing new for him.

His father died when he was 13 and as a youngster he spent time working as a bricklayer and at a supermarket - with the possibility of professional football a long way off. But after playing for Vere FC at a regional level in south Brazil, he moved to professional side Cruzeiro before getting his chance in Europe with Bulgarian side Ludogorets. His 15 goals helped fire Ludogorets to the Bulgarian title in 2022-23 and he was also named Conference League young player of the season for scoring seven goals as Club Brugge reached the semi-finals last year.

Now fit and flying for Brentford, Thiago's stock is on the rise - and a call-up to Brazil's squad, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, cannot be out of the question.