Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree granting Russian citizenship to Zenit Petersburg football club duo, Brazilian star Malcolm and compatriot Claudinho.
The Russia Today website quoted the Russian Football Union as saying that there is a theoretical possibility that the Brazilian duo will be able to play with the Russian national team in the future.
Malcolm joined Zenit in 2019 from Barcelona following spending one season with the Catalan club (2018-2019).
The 25-year-old winger has scored 15 goals and provided seven assists in 23 games this season.
As for the 26-year-old midfielder Claudiinho, he participated in 19 matches with Zenit, scoring three goals and providing eight assists.
