youth teams eventually earned him his senior debut against Scotland in a November 2002 friendly. He went on to seal a regular berth in the squad and was included in the 23-man list for UEFA Euro 2004, although he did not play in the finals; originally part of the squad for that year's Summer Olympic Games, he withdrew through injury. Moving to France proved crucial in international selection as Tiago's strong form at Lyon afforded him a place in Portugal's well-established midfield. His contributions aided the national team in their quest for qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and he appeared in five matches in the tournament held in Germany as Portugal reached the semi-finals, losing to France. Tiago scored his first goal on 28 March 2007, in a Player of the match display away to Serbia (1–1). He was, however, overlooked, for Euro 2008's final squad. Tiago was selected for the squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, replacing Deco in the first game, a 0–0 against the Ivory Coast. He took the naturalised Brazilian's place for the following fixture, netting twice (including a header) in a 7–0 demolition of North Korea in Cape Town on 21 June. After the World Cup, Tiago officially quit the national team citing personal reasons, and also to "make room for opportunities for younger players," ending his international career with 58 caps and three goals. On 3 October 2014, however, after an absence of almost four years, he was called up by new manager Fernando Santos for a friendly with France and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Denmark. He was sent off for two bookings on 13 June 2015, in a 3–2 win in Armenia in another qualifying match; he was not selected for the finals, not having fully recovered from a broken leg. Coaching career Immediately after retiring, Tiago spent one year as assistant to former manager Simeone. He returned to the national team setup in June 2019, working with every age group from the under-15s to the under-20s. Tiago had his first head coaching experience on 28 July 2020, signing a two-year contract with Vitória de Guimarães. He signed his former international teammate Ricardo Quaresma. On his managerial debut on 18 September, he lost by one goal at home to Belenenses SAD. Tiago resigned on 8 October 2020, having taken four points from three games. Style of play