Thiago Maia Alencar (born 23 March 1997), known as Thiago Maia, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Internacional.
Club career Santos
Born in Boa Vista, Roraima, Thiago Maia began his career at lowly locals Extremo Norte. In August 2010 he moved to São Paulo, joining São Caetano's youth categories, and later moved to Santos in the following year.
On 25 October 2014 Thiago Maia made his first-team debut, replacing fellow youth graduate Serginho in a 1–1 away draw against Chapecoense for the Série A championship. During the 2015 campaign, he profited from the injury of Alison, establishing himself as a starter from June and earning plaudits for his performances.
On 22 August 2015 Thiago Maia scored his first professional goal, netting the second in a 5–2 home routing of Avaí. On 13 October, after lengthy negotiations, he renewed his contract until 2019.
Thiago Maia became an undisputed starter during the 2016 campaign, partnering Renato at the heart of the midfield. He was also linked to Chelsea, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain during the year.
Thiago Maia completed his 100th match for Peixe on 4 March 2017, in a 0–1 derby loss against Corinthians. In his Copa Libertadores debut five days later, he started and scored the equalizer in a 1–1 away draw against Sporting Cristal.
Lille On 15 July 2017, French club Lille reached an agreement with Santos for the transfer of Thiago Maia, for a fee of €14 million, after being signed by the head coach Marcelo Bielsa. He made 37 appearances for the club during the 2017–18 season, scoring one goal.
Flamengo On 22 January 2020, Maia returned to Brazil, signing with Flamengo on an 18-month loan. An option to make the transfer permanent was included in the deal.
Maia's transfer to Flamengo was made permanent on 13 January 2022.
Internacional On 7 March 2024, Internacional announced Thiago Maia on a loan deal until the end of the year, with the conditions for a subsequent permanent deal already agreed. On 3 July, Inter officially bought him outright, with a contract until 2026.
International career
On 26 December 2014, after featuring regularly with the under-17s, Thiago Maia was called up to the Brazil under-20 side, alongside Santos teammates Gabriel and Caju, for the 2015 South American Youth Football Championship.
On 29 June 2016 Thiago Maia was called up to Olympic team, alongside Santos teammates Gabriel and Zeca, for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also became the first athlete from Roraima to appear in the tournament.
Personal life On 17 December 2024, Thiago Maia received the year's FIFA Fair Play Award after volunteering during the 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueState leagueIncludes Campeonato Paulista, Campeonato Carioca, Campeonato GaúchoNational cupIncludes Copa do Brasil, Coupe de FranceContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSantos2014Série A10—00——102015Série A282—90——3722016Série A31017040——5202017Série A121120206Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores1—322Total72329015061—1224Lille2017–18Ligue 1340—11—2Appearance(s) in the Coupe de la Ligue03712018–19Ligue 1240—10—102602019–20Ligue 130—001Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League00040Total610—211030671Flamengo (loan)2020Série A1406030501Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana02902021Série A23100513000312Flamengo2022Série A2403080100004502023320101101705Two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup, one appearance in Supercopa do Brasil, two appearances in Recopa Sudamericana0642202400100000—10Total931201262250601704Internacional2024Série A272—005Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana0—3222025Série A00700000—70Total272700050—392Career total25365615333719041811
Honours Santos Campeonato Paulista: 2016
Flamengo Recopa Sudamericana: 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2020 Copa do Brasil: 2022 Supercopa do Brasil: 2020, 2021 Campeonato Carioca: 2020, 2021 Copa Libertadores: 2022
Internacional Campeonato Gaúcho: 2025 Recopa Gaúcha: 2026
Brazil U23 Olympic Gold Medal: 2016
Individual Campeonato Paulista Team of the Year: 2016 Troféu Mesa Redonda Team of the Year: 2024 FIFA Fair Play Award: 2024
References
External links