Santos in 2017 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==