Igor Thiago scored 29 goals in his first and only season with Club Brugge.
Brentford then anticipated competition for his signing and paid a club-record £30m. The forward arrived as a replacement for Ivan Toney, who was sold to Saudi club Al-Ahli.
“I remember he always said his dream was to play in the Premier League. He was always speaking very highly of Erling Haaland. And now, today, he’s competing with him for the Premier League’s top scorer,” says Cauly, a former team-mate at Ludogorets who now plays for Bahia in Brazil
“That makes me really happy to see. I’m proud of him. He’s someone who truly deserves it – a genuinely good person, with a big heart, and he deserves to be where he is.”
With Brazil desperately looking for a number nine before the summer’s World Cup, there is a growing expectation head coach Carlo Ancelotti will include him in his March squad.
“For me, in this next list – which is the last one before the tournament – he has to be in. If he isn’t, then it won’t be justice,” Sergio Goncalves, his mentor from his early years at Gremio Ocidental, a local community football initiative, tells BBC Sport.
“Brazil is missing a proper striker, and I believe this is his moment. And when he gets there, I think he’ll make the difference.
“I’ve already been dreaming about it – the World Cup final, him scoring the winning goal. I’m dreaming.”
You can read more on Thiago’s journey to Brentford here