Xavi Reveals Why Vitor Roque Was Absent Against Real Sociedad

Xavi Hernández, the coach of FC Barcelona, has elucidated the reason behind Vitor Roque’s absence in the match against Real Sociedad on Monday, May 13th, at the Olímpic Lluís Companys Stadium (2-0).

According to the Catalan manager, the forward “suffered a strong blow to the ankle” during the training session on Sunday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. He added that Roque was “being treated cautiously” and, therefore, “did not warm up” in the second half. Xavi also remarked that he hasn’t been able to grant as many minutes to Vitor Roque as he would have liked due to the “intense competition” in the forward line. The Brazilian, since his arrival, has faced tough competition from all the attackers in the Barcelona squad.

Vitor Roque, signed in July 2023, joined FC Barcelona’s ranks in January 2024, making his debut on January 4th against UD Las Palmas (1-2) at the age of 18.

Since then, the Brazilian has appeared in 13 matches, scoring two goals, receiving one yellow card, and one red card. He has accumulated a total of 310 minutes (none in the Champions League).

Out of the 13 matches played, he started in the lineup only twice (against Celta and Cádiz) and did not complete the full 90 minutes in either. In the remaining 11 matches, he came off the bench. With his absence in the Real Sociedad game, he has now been on the bench for four consecutive league matches.