- The signing of a young promising striker.
- The lack of chances to shine.
- Reinvention in Sevilla and what the future holds.
A new star
Vitor Roque signed for FC Barcelona in June of 2023 from the Brazilian club Athletico Paranaense for a fee of âŹ40 million. The young striker immediately showed signs of brilliance under the then-manager Xavi Hernandez.
Even if not as good as Lewandowski he had a great eye for goal but defensively he was better than him, constantly pressing to try and force mistakes out of the opposition’s back-line. Fans were impressed by his performances and considered him as the heir to Barca’s no.9 once Lewandowski decides to hang up his boots.
Overshadowed by Lewangoalski
As much as Vitor Roque looked promising under Xavi Hernandez’s Barca, the manager did not appreciate him enough to give him enough opportunities over the seasoned goal scorer Robert Lewandowski. The Brazillian was often given the last minutes of the matches with very little time to prove himself worthy of more minutes on the pitch. He was clearly not happy with the situation with reports of arguments between his agent and Barca management becoming a regular occurrence.
A new chapter in Sevilla
Vitor Roque frustrated by the lack of game time at the Catalan capital decided to accept a loan move to Real Betis in hopes of proving himself as a striker with great potential to Europe and to his club Barcelona. Since then the youngster has enjoyed a more productive spell in Sevilla as he has become an important part of Manuel Pellegrini’s team. The Barca board however has decided to not bring Roque back to Barcelona but instead hope to cash out on him by putting him on the transfer market. With Betis likely not being able to afford the youngster Barca may have to look at other clubs who are interested. Will Vitor Roque’s chapter at FC Barcelona end this season or will he impress Hansi Flick with a redemption in the second half of the season?
