Petersburg’s Brazilian football player “Zenith” Claudinho stated that he was happy to become a Russian citizen and thanked the blue-whites for their support.
On February 24, Claudinho and his teammate Malcom received Russian citizenship by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I want to thank the club and everyone who contributed to granting me Russian citizenship! When the opportunity arose, I knew it would be good for me and the club. It’s also a great honor for me. I’m so happy!” – quoting a Brazilian “Match TV”.
In the current season of the Russian Premier League (RPL), Malcolm has attended 16 meetings, where he has managed to score 11 goals and provide 5 assists. Claudinho has scored 2 goals and 4 assists in 11 games this season.
Zenit players themselves started the possibility of obtaining a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. It is worth noting that Malcolm has been living in Russia since 2019, and Claudinho since 2021. Both are champions of the Beijing Olympic Games as part of the Brazilian national team.
Former ex-Zenit defender Maxim Bokov declarationThat Malcolm and Claudinho did not receive citizenship to play for the Russian national team.