Born in the Pina neighborhood of southern Recife, Thiago Fernandes was rejected from trials with Sport Recife and Palmeiras before being signed by Náutico of Recife.[1]
Náutico
Thiago Fernandes made his professional debut for Náutico on 15 January 2019, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 loss to Fortaleza in a Copa do Nordeste match.[2] On 16 February he scored his first goal for Náutico in a 4–2 win over Flamengo de Arcoverde in a Campeonato Pernambucano match.[2] 2019 saw Thiago emerge as a starter for Náutico at the age of 18, primarily playing as a right-winger.[3] He finished the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série C season as Náutico's second-leading goal scorer with 5 goals in 17 appearances.[4] Thiago helped Náutico finish as Série C champions and earned promotion to Série B. Náutico also finished runners-up in the 2019 Campeonato Pernambucano (where Thiago earned recognition as the league "Revelação," or "Best Newcomer") and reached the semi-finals of the Copa do Nordeste.[4][5]
Flamengo
On 12 December 2019, Náutico announced Thiago Fernandes' transfer to Série A club Flamengo for an undisclosed fee.[3] Náutico maintained an 18% sell-on fee.[3]
Náutico (loan)
On 7 May 2020, after playing for the Flamengo under-20 team and failing to make a first team appearance, Flamengo loaned Thiago Fernandes back to Náutico for the remainder of the season to get first team minutes.[6][7] On 19 July, in his first game back for Náutico, Thiago scored in a 2–1 win over Salgueiro in a Campeonato Pernambucano match.[8] He did not replicate his form from his previous stint with Náutico, scoring once and recording one assist in 15 appearances across all competitions.[8] On 5 November, Flamengo and Náutico agreed to end the loan early, with Thiago returning to the Flamengo U-20s for the remainder of 2020.[9]
On 2 March 2021 Thiago made his debut for the Flamengo first team in a Campeonato Carioca match, a 1–0 win over Nova Iguaçu.[10] He made his Série A debut on 6 December, coming off the bench in a 1–0 loss to Santos.[10] Thiago ended the season with 7 first team appearances, 2 in Série A, where Flamengo finished in 2nd place, and 5 in the Campeonato Carioca, helping Flamengo win the state league title.[10] He primarily played with the under-20 team throughout the season.[10]
During the 2022 season, he played twice in the Campeonato Carioca before being loaned to Houston.[11]
Houston Dynamo (loan)
On 21 March 2022, Thiago Fernandes was loaned to Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo for the remainder of the 2022 season as a U-22 Initiative signing, with Houston having an option to make the deal permanent.[12] On 19 April he made his Dynamo, getting the start in a 2–1 win over Rio Grande Valley FC in a U.S. Open Cup match.[11] He made his MLS debut on 30 April, coming off the bench in a 2–1 loss to Austin FC.[11] Thiago ended the season with a total of 19 minutes across 3 regular season appearances, plus 2 starts in the Open Cup, as the Dynamo finished 13th in the Western Conference, failing to qualify for the playoffs.[11][13] He also made 6 appearances with Houston Dynamo 2 in MLS Next Pro.[14]
CSA (loan)
On 6 February 2023, Thiago Fernandes was loaned to Série C side CSA.[15] Thiaguinho made his debut for CSA on 11 February, coming off the bench in a 1–0 win over Cruzeiro de Arapiraca in a Campeonato Alagoano.[16] He ended his loan with CSA earlier than expected in July.
Sampaio Corrêa (loan)
On 19 July 2023, Thiago moved to Sampaio Corrêa on loan until 31 December 2023.
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