The talented Brazilian striker Vitor Roque (19) has only impressed for a short time at FC Barcelona so far, which could also be down to coach Xavi. The Brazilian’s advisor is outraged
Real Madrid are looking forward to Endrick, who will join the Whites in the summer when he turns 18. Vitor Roque, already 19 and the other great Brazilian center forward talent of this generation, has landed at Real’s rivals FC Barcelona and is already playing there. Although, strictly speaking, he is not actually playing.
Rumors have been circulating for some time that coach Xavi does not (yet) think too highly of the teenager, who he therefore rarely uses. So far, Vitor Roque, who came to Barcelona at the turn of the year, has not made more than two appearances in the starting eleven. In eleven of his 13 games, he has only made brief appearances in the traditional 4-3-3, partly due to the presence of Robert Lewandowski, but he has at least managed to score his only two goals to date in two consecutive games at the end of January and the beginning of February
Since then, the 1.74-metre right-footer has not scored – and has not really been given the chance to do so recently. In the last four competitive matches, he has not played a single minute on the pitch, having only been allowed to watch on in the four matches against SSC Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout round of the Champions League.
This worrying development has now brought Vitor Roque’s advisor onto the scene. “We chose Barcelona because he wanted to play for Barcelona,” Andre Cury ranted on Catalan radio station RAC1. With the emphasis on “play”. But Xavi is not backing the young striker and the relationship is said to have cooled. And because the legendary player is staying on as Barca coach beyond the summer – contrary to what was planned – Cury’s alarm bells are ringing.
A loan is probably out of the question
“I’m sure Vitor will be a great player, but if Barca won’t let him play, we’ll find another solution for him,” said the advisor. And what could such another solution look like? A loan is said to be under discussion within the club, but Cury is rather put off by that. “A loan can be damaging for such a young player because he will go to a club that doesn’t own him,” he says – “in other words, a club that doesn’t have the greatest interest in him developing well.”
How often Xavi uses him in the remaining four league games – Barca’s last four games of the season – will be crucial for Vitor Roque’s immediate future. The 44-year-old would certainly have the opportunity to experiment. Barca are almost certain to qualify for the Champions League, but the championship is already out of reach
