Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Tiago began his professional career at Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, but never broke into the first team.
During his first spell in the country, Tiago played in three Segunda Liga seasons, successively appearing for C.D.
[1] He marked his First Professional Football League debut with a goal, in a 2–1 win against PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad on 31 July; on 14 November he scored his second league goal of the campaign, opening the scoring in a 3–0 home victory over PFC Minyor Pernik.
After leaving the Eastern Europe nation, and following a very brief spell in Portugal, Tiago spent the vast majority of his career in his country's lower leagues.
He made his professional debut in Brazil in 2014 at the age of 30, with Associação Desportiva Recreativa e Cultural Icasa in the Série B.