It has been a long time since the signing of a young footballer has raised so many expectations at Barça. In need of the club and fans of new idols and references up front, Gavi's long-term injury and the low offensive effectiveness this season have precipitated the arrival of Vitor Roque in the winter market. A bet on the future - he is 18 years old - that will require a period of adaptation but in which he is expected to contribute his grain of sand sooner rather than later.
The Brazilian forward landed at El Prat airport early this Wednesday morning. He did it accompanied by his wife and his family to start his new stage as a Blaugrana. Today he will undergo a medical examination. Among Barcelona fans, Vitor Roque awakens a certain enthusiasm, but the club does not want that illusion to transform into excessive euphoria despite the price paid for the new Brazilian jewel (30 million euros, 31 of variables to Athletico Paranaense).
Barça already gave a nod to his arrival this Tuesday, when he published a video on social networks in which a tiger appeared walking on the Montjuïc grass. Roque's nickname is Tigrinho. On Monday he put on the shirt of his new team, as the Catalan club showed in a shared video. He will presumably wear the number '19'.
His short stature (172 cm) makes him a mobile forward who also stands out for his power. And he has a nose for goal, a precious asset. Vitor Roque says goodbye to Brazil in 2023 after having scored 21 goals in 45 games. He already knows what it means to wear the green and yellow jersey - he played 25 minutes in his debut with the Brazilian team in a friendly against Morocco.
The attacker's presentation is scheduled for January 3, one day before the League match against Las Palmas. Before that, he will undergo his first training session under Xavi (next Friday) and will have his first contact with the Barcelona fans (on Saturday) at the open-door session at the Johan Cruyff stadium.
It remains to be seen if his debut takes place in the Canary Islands or if Xavi decides to wait for the Copa del Rey match against Barbastro on the 7th. The fans will have to wait to see him in situ at the Olímpic Lluís Companys stadium. Roque will not have the opportunity to play in front of his new audience until the last weekend of January due to the league commitments (Las Palmas, Betis), the Cup (Barbastro) and the Spanish Super Cup (in Saudi Arabia) being far away. Barcelona.
Vitor Roque, who was initially scheduled to join the Blaugrana next summer, signed a contract with Barça for eight seasons (until June 2031) and will have a star termination clause: 500 million euros. He joins the great cast of Brazilians who have been part of the Catalan entity.
Trained at América Mineiro, he made the jump to Cruzeiro, where he fell in love with the club's majority partner, also ex-Blaugrana Ronaldo Nazário, with whom comparisons are inevitable. Ronaldo also arrived at Barça very young for a high fee, although in his case he had already played in Europe (PSV). At Athletico Paraenense, where he arrived in April 2022, he has become a promising forward.
