 On 24 October, he scored a brace in a 4–3 home loss against rivals Atlético Mineiro.On 16 August 2011 Thiago Ribeiro joined Cagliari from Rentistas for €3,353,500 with option to purchases.He made his Serie A debut on 11 September, starting in a 2–1 away win against Roma; his first goal came eight days later, in a home success over Novara for the same scoreline.