Author: Soorya G
Brazilian star Malcom has made a remarkable start to his journey with Al-Hilal. The winger showed his skill by scoring a splendid hat-trick in his team’s 3-1 triumph over Abha during the opening match of the Saudi Pro League 2023-24 campaign. After making his impact, the striker opened the scoring for his team in the 31st minute. However, the hosts responded quickly, with Saad Bguir equalizing the game.
On the Al-Hilal pitch, tranquillity prevailed thanks to Malcom’s masterful performance, which ensured the crucial three points were won. The Corinthians graduate showed his brilliance twice more in the second half. He elegantly restored his side’s lead in the 55th minute, extending their dominance even further after the hour mark.
A former Barcelona player rekindling his career with Zenit, Malcom has now teamed up with his countryman Roberto Firmino to achieve a surprising feat: both scored a hat-trick for their respective teams in the first game of the Saudi Arabia Pro League. An additional layer of excitement arises as Neymar also prepares to embark on his journey with Al-Hilal following his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Amid the summer signings in the Saudi Pro League, Malcom stands out as one of the most significant acquisitions. His transition from the Russian giants was orchestrated for a considerable fee of around 60 million euros. This heavy investment, however, is quickly proving to be prudent as Malcom shows his brilliance on the pitch, unequivocally validating his substantial value. However, the signing of Malcom could be overshadowed by the arrival of Brazilian star Neymar.
Neymar’s arrival at PSG came as a surprise to many, given that he still had four years left on his contract with the Parisian side. There was speculation that he would return to Barcelona, but it seems that the striker has decided not to continue in Europe. One of the highlights of Neymar’s career was his brilliant Champions League campaign in 2014/15, when he was the competition’s top scorer and played a key role in the Blaugrana team’s victorious campaign.