Neymar made a good choice moving to PSG - Malcom

Bordeaux starlet Malcom believes that countryman Neymar was wise to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.

The 25-year-old striker’s €222 million move from Camp Nou was the highlight of a remarkable summer transfer window but attracted criticism from many quarters due to the size of the fee involved.

Nevertheless, Malcom, who signed for the Garonne side in January 2016 from Corinthians, believes it was a smart move on the part of the superstar.

"Neymar made a good choice coming to France," he said. "We're happy for him. I hope he can be happy in Paris. May he bring happiness and score a lot of goals.... just not against Bordeaux!

"With Neymar's arrival, the French championship grew in visibility. There's more people watching it."

Experience has told him about the competitive nature of matches in Ligue 1, and he has warned Neymar that he will not get an easy ride — but he does expect the forward to lead PSG to glory.

"There are no easy games in  Ligue 1 — it's the same as in Brazil: Chapecoense can beat Corinthians, Vitoria can beat Sao Paulo... so there's no easy game," he said.

"Last year Monaco showed great concentration to win the title. Now, with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, I think PSG have a better chance of winning the title. But there are other teams fighting for it. The one most focused will be the Ligue 1 champiom."

Malcom has drawn attention in France, leading to speculation he could be Ousmane Dembele’s replacement in Dortmund, though Bordeaux reportedly rebuffed several approaches from the German side.

"I was calm," he said. "My head was never on Dortmund or any other club. My head is with Bordeaux, I'm focused on Bordeaux. I'm very happy, focused on my work and all I want is to give consistently."

One target for the 20-year-old, who has made a name for himself by scoring spectacular long-range goals, is to make his international debut. But he is insistent it's a long-term goal and not an honor that will come because of any individual match — even Saturday's clash with PSG.

"Those kinds of games won’t poke Tite," he said. "I won’t become a national team player because of a single game, it will be due to my entire season. I'm calm.

"There's no way I’m the Neymar of Bordeaux. Malcom is focused on his work, on the group of players. The squad is very united, focused and hoping to reach our objectives."