Vitor Roque arrived in Barcelona in early January to the sale usually reserved for an established star.
The day before the young Brazilian arrived in Spain, Barcelona posted a video showing a tiger wandering around the park, followed by other social media posts of Roque walking around the Barcelona Museum, visit city landmarks, and have your own shirt printed at the Barcelona store.
Roque’s nickname – Tigrinho (“Little Tiger” in Portuguese) – can be used as a discount code for tickets to games over the next month.
His signature was a big game for Barcelona, Their deal with his Brazilian club, Atletico Paranaense – which was agreed last July – was for an initial sum of 30 million euros, plus another 31 million euros in addition.
At the time, Xavi wanted to prioritize signing a replacement for Sergio Busquets. Instead, the money was spent on an unproven 18-year-old Brazilian striker. Although Deco did not officially take over as Barcelona’s new sporting director, He was the person who traveled to Roque’s home in Curitiba to make a deal with him.
Rocky was expected to join his new teammates in January this year. When it looked like Barcelona would struggle to score, the plan was shelved until the summer. Then Gavi’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in November changed things. Although there was enough budget to increase salaries, due to the lack of a direct replacement Rocky came to January again.
Not much was known about Rocky by the general public. He played 26 minutes for the Brazilian national team in March 2023, and finished only one season at a high level, but fans welcomed the news with open arms. Many were ready for a positive promotion, as the team was in decline, which would end with Xavi’s surprising decision to retire at the end of the season, which he reversed last week.
There is also a wider context. Last year was one of the darkest periods in Barcelona’s history, with the revelation of Negrera’s relationship adding to the pain of long-term financial problems and other recent scandals. Even Lionel Messi’s departure in 2021 still hurts.
Rocky was never a single cure. He should have come away from the limelight, and with that a message that patience was needed. But Joan Laporta’s Barcelona is a seller of illusions, and has been presented as the savior of the team.
The reality was different. Locker room sources – who did not want to be named to protect their roles – spoke to The Athletic in January about their first impressions of Rocky in training. They said it quickly became clear that he had to make improvements in terms of technical skills.
Even in his first steps in Barcelona, it for the player to keep up with the team’s famous rondo exercises.
When Roque made his debut as a second-half substitute against Las Palmas in a Spanish league match on January 4, he missed several clear scoring chances. The same thing happened against fourth division team UD Barbastro in the Copa del Rey a few days later.
His first goal came on the last day of January with a header against Osasuna. In the next match, against Deportivo Alaves, he scored again before being sent off for a second yellow card.
This was the decisive point. But both goals came off the bench as an influential player. When Rocky started games, you could see signs of struggle, and that he needed time to adjust. The problem was that after the big crowd, he was already judged by a different level.
When Roque made only his second La Liga start, in the April 13 match away to Cadiz, which came between Barcelona’s quarter-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain, fans reacted on social media in Catalan. “It was like he was already sent out.”
The young striker was not good in that game. He played 61 minutes, did not complete successful dribbles, made 4 passes and shot one ball, which was not on target. Since then, his career has declined. In the last two games, he has been an unused substitute and was not even seen during the warm-up.
Barcelona are now planning to loan Roque next season, according to sources from the technical staff and the board of directors.
Vitor Roque cleared Paranaense and moved to Barcelona (Getty)
Several coaches say the ideal situation for him would be to get regular minutes with another Spanish team at a higher level to help him get to know the language and style of football.
“We’ll sit down and see what’s best for each player,” Xavi said when asked about Roque’s future ahead of Monday’s game with Valencia. Coming from Brazil, it’s not easy to change at 18 age and make a difference in Barcelona. It will take time, and maybe a little more confidence. He can play for Barcelona for a long time. At the end of the season we will decide .”
But the process of the past months raises another question; Did Barcelona have to spend all that money on a raw teenager?
This season, La Masia graduates have made a notable impact, with Lamine Yamal and Pau Kuparsi joining the first team, and others, including striker Marc Guillou, also getting minutes. It took him less than a minute to score on his debut against Athletic Bilbao in October, and he scored again in December’s Champions League defeat of Royal Antwerp. He has two goals in 185 minutes, the same as Roque’s goals in 318 minutes.
At least now there is more public recognition of the truth; Roque needs time to change, and that he is still very young and needs time of patience from Barcelona,
Some have drawn comparisons between Roque and Vinicius Junior, who arrived at a very young age at Real Madrid for the same fee, and with similar expectations, in 2018. He started with Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s reserve team, and gave It took him some time, maybe seasons, to become the great player he is today.
Putting all questions of talent aside, it remains to be seen whether Barcelona have the patience required.
2024-05-03 18:10:34
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