Tiago César Moreira Pereira (born 4 July 1975), known simply as Tiago (Portuguese pronunciation: [tiˈaɣu]), is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
He amassed Primeira Liga totals of 282 matches and six goals over 12 seasons, mainly in representation of União de Leiria (five years) and Boavista (three).
[1] Born in Trofa, Porto District, tough-tackling Tiago started his professional career with F.C.
He remained in the second tier of Portuguese football with the latter side for several seasons, playing into his 40s.
[4][5][6][1] Tiago also had abroad stints with Rayo Vallecano (1998–99) and CD Tenerife (1999–2000, both in the Spanish Segunda División), helping the Madrid club promote to La Liga.