Putin granted Russian citizenship to a pair of Brazilian attackers. Will they be called up to the national team?

Until recently, one of them was a Barcelona player and even scored a goal in El Clásico. Zenit St. Petersburg’s official website has confirmed that two foreign players of this team have become Russian citizens. Malcom and Claudinho will now be able to play for the Russian national team.

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a certain decree that allowed two Brazilians who never played for their country’s national team to get Russian citizenship.

According to a Eurofoot profile, thanks to this decision, both will be able to play for the Russian national team, but only from 2024 and 2026 respectively.

Interestingly, the acceptance of Russian citizenship by the two Brazilians has also stirred some controversy in the country that launched a military invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

Former Celta Vigo and Deportivo Alavés footballer Aleksandr Mostovoy recently said. They should play players born in our country.”

“There are good legionnaires at CSKA and Krasnodar and Zenit still have a lot of Brazilians. What is the sense and logic of saying that we need them in the national team, especially when we return to the international scene?”

On the other hand, according to Dmitry Khomukh, a former Russian youth coach, who believes that Malcom and Claudinho only applied for citizenship because of the financial benefits associated with paying lower taxes. But the gesture may be much more of a political decision to try to strengthen relations with Brazil at a time when Russia is at war with Ukraine

Recall that the 25-year-old Malcom donned the Barcelona jersey in the 2018/19 season after a €41 million transfer from Girodins de Bordeaux.

The São Paulo-born winger even scored against Real Madrid. The following season, however, he travelled to Zenit for €40 million. He has already played 23 games this season, scoring 15 goals and recording 7 assists.

While 26-year-old Claudinho has been a player of the former UEFA Cup winner since 2021 after arriving from RB Bragantino for €12 million. The offensive midfielder is also one of the mainstays of his team. He started nineteen times in the match, scoring three times and also assisting eight goals.

Source: FCBarca, Eurofoot