Corinthians Born in
São Paulo, Malcom began his career in the youth of his hometown club
Corinthians. In early 2014, he starred in the side that came runners-up to
Santos in the
Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. He was called by coach
Mano Menezes into the first team and made his professional debut on 19 March 2014 in a
Copa do Brasil first-round game away to
Bahia de Feira, playing the last ten minutes of the 2–0 win in place of
Jádson. Four days later he made his sole appearance of the
Campeonato Paulista season, coming on around the same mark for
Luciano in a 3–0 home win over
Atlético Sorocaba. Malcom made his
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A debut on 27 April 2014 as a substitute for
Romarinho in a 2–0 home win over
Flamengo. He scored his first professional goal on 18 September, opening a 1–1 draw with
Chapecoense at
Arena Corinthians. He was a regular first-team player during the
2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A championship campaign. He played a total of 70 games and scored ten goals during his tenure at the club.
Bordeaux in 2017 French team
Bordeaux signed Malcom on 31 January 2016, replacing
Sunderland-bound
Wahbi Khazri. The club paid
€5 million for half of his economic rights. He made his
Ligue 1 debut a week later, starting in a 4–1 home loss to
Saint-Étienne and being substituted for
Thomas Touré after 69 minutes. On 10 February, he scored his first goal in the last 16 of the
Coupe de France, putting the
Girondins 3–2 up in extra time in a 3–4 loss to
Nantes, also at the
Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux. It was not until 30 April that he made an assist, for
Cheick Diabaté in a 4–2 win at
Troyes, and the following week he scored his lone league goal of the season to open a 3–0 home victory against
Lorient. On 27 September 2017, Malcom signed a new contract, tying him to the club until June 2021. His final season was his most prolific, with 12 goals, all in the league. This commenced with two on 19 August in a 3–3 draw at
Lyon, including a long-distance equaliser in added time. With several influential displays, he quickly became a fan favourite at the club, spending three seasons and scoring 23 goals in 96 appearances across all competitions. His long-range goal against
Dijon on 1 December 2017 was voted Goal of the Season at the
Trophées UNFP du football.
Barcelona On 24 July 2018, Spanish club
Barcelona announced the signing of Malcom on a five-year contract for a reported transfer fee of
€41 million plus an additional
€1 million in bonuses. Corinthians received 2.5% of the fee. He was previously close to joining
Roma, with fans waiting for him to arrive at the
airport and sporting director
Monchi stating that the Italians would consider taking legal action against Barcelona. Due to limits on players without European Union passports, Malcom was left out from the Barcelona squad that won the
2018 Supercopa de España. On 25 August, he made his official debut for the club in a 1–0 victory over
Real Valladolid at the
José Zorrilla, replacing compatriot
Philippe Coutinho with six minutes left. On 6 November, Malcom scored his first competitive goal for Barcelona in a 1–1 away draw against
Inter Milan in the
UEFA Champions League. On 6 February 2019, Malcom was given a surprising start against
Real Madrid in the
Copa del Rey semi-finals first leg, scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 draw. On 2 April 2019, Malcom scored his first
La Liga goal in a 4–4 draw away against
Villarreal CF.
Zenit in 2021 On 2 August 2019, Malcom joined
Zenit Saint Petersburg on a five-year deal for a €40 million fee with an additional €5 million in variables. He made his debut the next day in a 1–1 home draw with
FC Krasnodar, as a 71st-minute substitute for
Alexey Sutormin. Due to injuries, he only played 64 minutes up to 4 October. He came back to the field on 29 February 2020 when he played 90 minutes in a goalless home draw with
Lokomotiv Moscow. On 2 May 2021, he scored the final goal of the game as Zenit secured their third title in a row in a 6–1 victory over second-place
FC Lokomotiv Moscow. On 22 July 2022, Malcom extended his contract with Zenit until 2027. On 29 April 2023, Malcom scored 4 goals in a match for the first time in his career, helping Zenit to achieve a 1–5 away victory against
Krylia Sovetov. He became the top scorer of the
2022–23 Russian Premier League with 23 goals scored.
Al Hilal On 23 July 2023, Zenit's chairman announced the transfer of Malcolm to
Al Hilal of the
Saudi Pro League. The transfer fee agreed was €60m with an advance payment of 50%. On 5 August 2023, he made his debut for the club, in which he scored a goal in a 3–1 victory over
Al-Ittihad in the
Arab Club Champions Cup quarter-finals. In his league debut on 14 August, Malcom scored a hat trick in Al-Hilal's 3–1 win against
Abha. ==International career==