Malcom speaks out on relationship with Ernesto Valverde at Barcelona – ‘That’s why I had to go’ | OneFootball

Barcelona face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night, hoping to continue their recent history in the competition. The last time the two met at this stage was when Barcelona won 4-1 on aggregate over Los Blancos, with Brazilian Malcom scoring in a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg.

Relevo spoke to the Brazilian on his time at Barcelona, where he made it clear that even if things didn’t work out, he enjoyed his time there and did not have any regrets. He confessed to still watching their games as a fan too.

Asked about his goal in El Clasico in the Copa del Rey, Malcom thought it might change his situation at Camp Nou.

“Yes, yes of course. But the reality is that nothing changed. That’s why I had to go. I was clear that when I was given the opportunity, I would take it. So it was. I was a young player who wanted to play more. I think I deserved more minutes, they always gave me only five or 10 minutes and despite this I never gave up. I always held my head high, trying to give my best version and trying not to lose concentration.”

However he never clicked with manager Ernesto Valverde, although the Zenit St. Petersburg winger believes he knows why.

“You can never please everyone. he didn’t put me on a lot and I had to accept it, and continue working. The coach didn’t want me from the beginning because he had asked for Willian. He didn’t let me show him that I could deliver too. At Anfield, for example, when he puts me on it’s at 80′, and it’s already 4-0. I was not his choice and I had to pay for it.”

Willian was heavily linked to Barcelona at the time, while he was at Chelsea. However Barcelona instead opted to hijack Roma’s deal for Malcom, as he moved on from Bordeaux for €41m. Since he has been at Zenit, where he has been putting up good figures since. Currently he has 35 goals and 22 assists in 102 matches.