In the 61st minute, Vitor Roque entered Cruzeiro-Botafogo on October 13, 2021 and 18 minutes later, exhausted and crying, he was replaced. This was the professional debut of the new signing of FC Barcelona, ??a premiere not dreamed of but anecdotal for the history of exponential growth that the young striker has experienced since then.
That day, at just 16 years old, coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo trusted him to revolutionize the Serie B game in Brazil, but the striker’s physical level did not allow him to finish the match, but not before showing hints of his offensive skills. .
Vitor Roque was born on February 28, 2005 in Timóteo, a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. In 2015 he arrived at the América Mineiro academy playing as a defensive midfielder, although his coaches did not hesitate to move him forward in the field considering that it would be where he could best exploit his abilities, especially speed.
The decision was obviously a wise move when looking at it eight years later. Roque has established himself as one of the greatest potential youngsters in world football and a benchmark in attack in all the clubs he has worked for. From América Mineiro he made the leap to Cruzeiro, at that time from the second category of Rio de Janeiro soccer.
With the light blue team he scored 6 goals in 16 games that earned him Athletico Paranaense of the first division to notice him. With the red and black he had an immediate impact and scored his first goal on May 29, 2022 against Cuiabá. A month later he made his debut in the Copa Libertadores, with a goal after 5 minutes against Paraguayan Libertad.
So far he has 22 goals and 9 assists with Paranaense, just over a year after landing at the Curitiba club, from which he will say goodbye soon to head to Barcelona and add his third professional adventure in the ranks of the Blaugrana team.
Roque arrives with the label of a future star, a commitment to revolutionize Barça’s attack in the coming years. And it is that the striker is not like anything that currently exists in the club’s squad. Speed, explosion, intelligence, unchecking and pressure are some of the skills that best describe the Brazilian’s style of play.
The new culé striker is characterized by his speed in offensive conductions, and especially by how he attacks spaces. His speed, along with his intelligence, allow him to easily distance himself from rival defenders to generate passing options to his teammates. In addition, the youngster maintains a versatility in attack, and can be seen on the wings, as a second striker and, above all, as a striker.
His speed allows him to be an option for wingers, although as a center forward is where his football best exploits. With his height of 1.72 meters, he is far from being an aerial reference, far from his way of deploying himself on the field. He is usually seen leaving the box in search of a pass that allows him to move towards the goal or even shoot from long distance.
In addition, his past as a midfielder has allowed him to improve the pressure he exerts on his rivals, a quality that he sought to perfect so that European football would notice him, and which has already led him to debut with the senior team of his country.
On March 25, 2023, Roque wore the colors of La Canarinha for the first time in a friendly against Morocco, and became the youngest footballer to debut with the national team since Ronaldo, who did so at the age of 17 in 1994.
With records under his arm, consolidated potential in Brazil and a promising future, the Brazilian already appears on the Blaugrana horizon to be an offensive reference in the coming years. From his frustrated debut, to now hanging up the Barça shirt, Vitor Roque will seek to continue making history.
