Vitor Roque said goodbye to his fans in Brazil yesterday after only three seasons as a professional and will soon head to Barcelona, where he will not be able to make his debut until January after signing a contract for eight seasons (until June 30, 2031) and a clause termination of 500 million euros. The forward played his last game in Curitiba against Santos and was dismissed as an idol.
Before finishing the match, Roque was substituted amidst a huge applause from the Brazilian fans. Once finished, he monopolized the cameras and microphones with words of gratitude to Athletico Paranaense.
"Since I arrived, they welcomed me very well. I am happy and it is a dream for me to go to Europe and now I must continue working. I am certain that it was a successful job helping Furacao achieve the maximum. I am happy for the work and the love from the fans, who always supported me," he said.
"I gave my best, but it is time to fulfill my dream, Barça. I am working mentally. I want to be humble at Barça, I want to work and work again. Work very hard. I want and hope to be prepared. I will give my best I can for Barça," he explained.
Finally, he assured that he will try to "work as hard as possible with humility to arrive in the best way and I hope to arrive in Barcelona prepared. I worked hard and I am very happy for everything that is happening to me in life," he concluded.
The new Barça forward still has one Brasileirao match left but it will be away from home, against Cuiabá, in the early hours of Thursday to Friday (01:30 Spanish time).
Cruceiro and Athletico Paranaense have been, after his training period at América Mineiro, his teams in Brazil. In the first he could only play in the second division and only played 14 games. With Paranaense, already in Serie A, he became a true star of the competition.
In his two seasons in the city of Curitiba, the forward became known for his extraordinary talent and his ability in front of the rival goal. In 80 games he scored 28 goals and gave 10 assists and caught the attention of many teams in Europe, although it was Barça that came forward to be able to acquire his services.
