By Chris King • Updated: 06 Jul 2023 • 21:00
Image of Brazilian footballer Malcolm. Credit: Wikipedia/By Анна Мейер / ФК «Зенит» - https://fc-zenit.ru/zenit/players/malcolm/, CC BY-SA 3.0
Brazilian football star Malcolm reportedly owes the Spanish tax authorities a whopping €820,000.
A list is published annually by the Tax Agency, showing individuals who owe the entity more than €600,000. Malcolm’s name appears in relation to his time spent playing in La Liga for Barcelona FC in 2018 and 2019.
He currently plays for Zenith St Petersburg in Russia. His name was not the only well-known sports star listed. The former Argentine defender Gabriel Milito was among the debtors at the end of 2022, as was another Brazilian, Daniel Alves, who is presently in prison in Spain on rape charges.
Also listed was Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the football referee who recently became famous for his unadvertised connections with Barcelona. He owes the state €1.2 million.
Given the allegations of corruption in the case of alleged payments made to him by the Catalan club, tax problems may not be the biggest ones for the former ref.
Malcolm moved to La Liga in the summer of 2018. Under bizarre circumstances, the winger was boarding a flight from Bordeaux in France, on his way to sign for Seria A giants AS Roma. Barca officials somehow tempted him to sign for them and he subsequently never took the plane to Italy.
During his time in Catalonia, Malcolm had a contract worth €8 million a year but still could not gain a foothold in the squad. The footballer played 15 matches in the championship, scoring one goal and providing two assists. The highlight of the Brazilian’s career in Spain was the winning goal against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
Zenit sensationally moved in and completed the player’s transfer for the same €40 million that Barcelona paid Bordeaux. According to Transfermarkt though, his salary is significantly lower (€3.2 million) in Russia, but he is the undisputed leader of the team.
He has already won the Russian Premier League four times in a row. At the end of last season, he finished as the league’s top scorer. Malcolm also won the award as the best player in the RPL, having scored 23 goals with 7 assists in 27 matches.
Tax problems for football players who play or have played in Spain are nothing new. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho are three big names who had to face the courts.
History has shown that everything usually ends with an agreement between the parties on the settlement of claims, which normally involves the payment of the debt, plus a fine. It is very likely that this will be the case with Malcolm, as reported by gazeta.ru.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.