The crazy money of the Saudi sheikhs reached Russia — the best player and top scorer of the last season of the Russian Premier League (RPL) Malcolm leaves Zenit and goes to Al-Hilal. For a bright Brazilian with a Russian passport, the Saudis, according to the chairman of the board of directors of the St. Petersburg club, Alexander Medvedev, will pay about 60 million euros. Why this transition is more advantageous for everyone, the correspondent understands.
Surprisingly, Malcolm's move has become the most costly for clubs in Saudi Arabia so far. Many compare the crazy spending of sheikhs with the Chinese craze of yesteryear, but it's still a little different. Such a one-time and indiscriminate appearance of world-class stars in a single championship has never happened before. It turns out that our Brazilian is now at the top of the list, which, for a moment, includes such blocks as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marcelo Brozovic and many others.
Malcolm is 26 years old, in four years in Russia he won everything he could and showed excellent personal statistics. Of course, it can be noted that the costly transfer of the Brazilian from Barcelona (about 40 million euros) did not allow Zenit to sparkle in European competition, but at the RPL level, the midfielder became a real star. Several times during the St. Petersburg voyage, Malcolm said that one day he wants to return to the leading European championships, but a lot changed in February last year, when Russian football was in the sanction hole. And now the local market is not exactly closed — it is very limited. The Middle East is just one of the main career paths for a legionary of the RPL club.
Now Malcolm will have a unique opportunity to satisfy all his financial appetites, and even in a league whose competitiveness is growing daily. In addition, the player is at such an age that he still has time to return to the dream of realizing himself in Europe. Malcolm got a lucky ticket, and not to take advantage of such a chance would be real stupidity.
The same stupidity would be for the “Zenith” to the last hold on to their expensive star. Malcom, as mentioned above, gave the club almost everything. It would be another matter if a footballer stood up in a pose, like the same Wendel, and twisted the arms of the management. But now the Blue-White-Blues have received an offer they can't refuse. This transfer will not only allow Zenith to almost fully recoup the money invested in Malcolm, but also add significant image whists to the club. The Petersburgers, based on their financial and scouting capabilities, have long established exemplary work in the Brazilian market, which will show the entire football Latin America (and, possibly, not only) that it is not only possible, but also necessary to work with these Russians! A year and a half of sanctions have thrown the league back, but such significant transfers will allow it to remind once again that we are alive, we compete and even sell players profitably. It is simply necessary to squeeze out all the media opportunities from this case, not forgetting, of course, about Malcolm's Russian citizenship.
And, of course, the departure of the leader at the very beginning of the season without an adequate replacement at the moment will be a real challenge for Zenit head coach Sergei Semak. And a great way to prove that five championships in a row is not a product of the greenhouse conditions created for him and his team, but the result of the hard work of the entire staff. When, if not now, to demonstrate their ideas and prove that it's not just about the miracle Brazilians?
So Malcolm's departure is perfect in every way, it opens a unique window of opportunity for all parties. And the truth is — dreams come true!