Thiago Heleno

A football player from Brazil who plays at the professional level, Thiago Heleno Henrique Ferreira is a defender specializing in the heart of the defence. In 2004, Thiago was noticed for the first time when he was a member of the youth team squad at Cruzeiro. From 2004 to 2005, he kept rising through the ranks until the club was forced to give him an opportunity with the first team in 2006. Between 2006 and 2010, Thiago played mainly in the lesser tournaments like the state league.

He started slowly in the league but in the state league, he helped the team win the 2006, 2008 and 2009 Campeonato Mineiro league title. This wasn’t the first time he had won something because in 2005, Thiago had already helped the Brazilian Under-17 national team win the 2005 South American under-17 Championships. In 2007, he would also win the South American Youth Championships with the Under-20 national team.

In 2010, after almost 90 games for Cruzeiro, Thiago signed up with Deportivo Maldonado but before he could pay a single game, went out on loan to Corinthians. After just 5 appearances for the club, he went back to Deportivo Maldonado but was sent out on another loan spell, in 2011, to Palmeiras. Since moving to Palmeiras, Thiago has become a regular playing member and is already into his second year on loan to the club.

He has played over 55 games for Palmeiras, scoring 4 times and is likely to become a permanent member of their team after helping them win the 2012 Copa do Brasil title.