Profile

Malcom – full name Malcom Filipe Silva De Oliveira – began his professional footballing journey in the youth system of hometown club Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His breakthrough season came in 2014, when still only 17; but it was his second year that caught the eye, as his attacking exploits from the right side helped Corinthians win the Brazilian Série A title. A move to French club Bordeaux followed in January 2016, still a month before his 19th birthday.

A single goal in 12 Ligue 1 appearances didn’t represent a hugely notable return in the young attacker’s first half-season in France, but the subsequent two campaigns proved much more consistent. Malcom appeared in 72 of a possible 76 league fixtures across the two seasons, and his goalscoring improved: seven league goals in 2016/17, and a career-high 12 in what was his last season at Bordeaux.

The 21-year-old eventually completed a shock last-minute move to Spanish giants Barcelona in July, despite Italian side Roma seemingly convinced of his arrival until very late on in the piece. Instead, Malcom joined the Catalan giants for a fee of just over €40m, signing a significant five-year deal in the process. He has yet to represent the Brazilian senior side, despite winning the league with current head coach Tite, but he was a key member of the Under-20 squad that finished as runners-up to Serbia in the 2015 Under-20 World Cup.