Malcom stepped in for Lionel Messi in the 1-1 El Clasico draw with Real Madrid and has been regarded as the natural replacement for Messi. In a post-match press conference, the Brazilian forward admitted that it would be a huge responsibility to fill Messi’s shoes.
The Brazilian cancelled out Lucas Vazquez’s sixth-minute opener to ensure the two teams had all to play for in the second leg within 3 weeks at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Messi and Dembélé had been ruled out and Ernesto Valverde decided to start with Malcom despite suggestions Carles Aleña would be the man to fill his exceptionally large boots. It was the Brazilian tasked with that and he almost single-handledly pulled Barcelona back into it.
Malcom scored the equalizer in the 57th minute after torturing Marcelo down the wing and Barcelona kept whipping the ball out to him having figured out where they could get the upper hand. He deserved Barca’s man of the match accolade.
First El Clasico goal 💥
Malcom is the latest Brazilian to score for Barca against Real 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/Bxy9GLfmtr
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 6, 2019
In a post-match press conference, Malcom admitted that replacing Messi will be a difficult and huge responsibility for him.
The Barca winger also denied that he has felt pressure to impress this season and insisted that he has always felt at ease during his time in Spain, despite his relative lack of involvement.
“I’ve always been calm, just like when I arrived … I have friends who give me confidence, I have family, agents all fighting for me and also my team-mates. I have a lot of support,” reports Goal.
“It was a goal that helped us get back into the tie. We will go to the [Santiago] Bernabeu with confidence.”
The Brazilian had found regular football hard to come by since his €42 million (£37m/$48m) move from Bordeaux last July, making just one start in La Liga, although he has featured in all five of Barca’s Copa matches this season.