Zenit’s General Director Alexander Medvedev commented on the move: “We expect Claudinho, who has just won an Olympic gold medal alongside Malcom, to strengthen Zenit’s forward line and add to the attacking ability of the team after the departure of Sebastian Driussi, he will also bring more variety and energy to the team.”
Claudinho was born on 28 January 1997 in São Vicente, São Paulo. He began his time in football in the Santos youth set-up but signed his first professional contract with Corinthians in July 2015. He went on to play for Bragantino and Santo Andre, Ponte Preta and Red Bull Brazil, Oeste and finally Red Bull Bragantino where he firmly established himself. Claudinho went on to play 126 matches, score 32 goals and made 25 assists for the club based in Bragança Paulista in São Paulo.
In 2020 he finished as top scorer in Brazil’s Serie A with 18 goals and also won the prestigious ESPN Bola de Ouro best player award in 2020
He played all six matches for Brazil at Tokyo 2020 as they won Olympic gold defeating Spain in the final.
