Vitor Roque’s Bid to Convince Xavi: The Bold Move of Marc Guiu

Vitor Roque’s happiness at the end of the match is out of this world! ‘Tigrinho’ has arrived… Vitor Roque has vanished from the scene at Barça. The Brazilian forward, who made his debut with the Blaugrana first team in early January just days after landing in Barcelona, had a sporadic involvement. He scored his first goal against Osasuna at Montjuïc and followed up with two goals against Alavés in Vitoria. It seemed like his star could rise and become a key player in attack, but it’s been quite the opposite. His influence has waned. As the crucial phase of the season arrives, with high-stakes matches, he hasn’t been an option for Xavi. With no chance of winning titles anymore (although Barça must secure their place in the next Supercopa with Girona close behind), we’ll see if the Terrassa-born coach decides to give more opportunities to the former Athletico Paranaense player. He has accumulated a total of 310 minutes on the field (one start in the last 11 games). Slow Adaptation It was expected within the club that the Brazilian’s adaptation would be gradual. At 18 years old, he arrived in Europe facing a radical change in culture, football, and everything else. The idea was for him to gradually immerse himself in everything and see how he evolved to determine if he could be a protagonist this season. It’s a significant club investment, and it remains to be seen if he convinces Xavi to keep him in the first team for next season (considering he’s only registered for this season, finding room in the ‘fair play’ regulations for next season would be necessary).

Ahead are six league games in which he could gradually enter and have opportunities to continue growing. Unless there’s a surprise, he would also participate in the preseason, which would be his first full season at Can Barça. Naturally, the possibility of a loan is on the table if it’s deemed necessary for his development, but it’s currently a distant hypothesis. Club Investment Vitor Roque (€31 million fixed and €30 million variable) is one of Barça’s biggest club investments in recent years. Through agent André Cury, with whom Barça has closely worked for over a decade, the Catalan club monitored the Mineiro forward for some time. The club’s scouts in Brazil alerted them, and the sporting department took action. A player who, at 17-18 years old, stood out in Athletico Paranaense’s first team, scoring many goals in the Copa Libertadores. Versatile, more than just a box striker.