Barcelona’s new signing Malcom has said he pulled out of a move to Roma at the last minute to fulfil his dream of emulating Ronaldinho and Neymar’s success at the Camp Nou.
Malcom, 21, says his conscience is clear, though, and that there was only ever one option for him once the La Liga champions came in.
“I was always relaxed about the situation, my agents were in charge of it all,” the Brazilian forward said as he was officially presented as a Barca player at Nike’s headquarters on Thursday.
“I had the chance to sign for Barcelona and since I was a kid I have dreamed of playing for this club, alongside the best players in the world, who are here.
“When I was growing up, I liked Ronaldinho a lot and then Neymar became [my idol]. I hope to follow in the same footsteps of the Brazilians that have played for Barcelona and to have the same success here.”
The Catalan club’s vice president, Jordi Mestre, also played down the transfer saga, stressing that Malcom has been a target for a number of years.
“We’re calm,” he said about the situation with Roma. “We’ve followed Malcom since 2014 and the right moment arrived to make the move.
“I can understand it’s gone down badly with Roma, Monchi and their president. But that’s part of negotiations. The player is the one that makes the [final] decision.”
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