Vitor Roque, the “competitive beast” that brings joy to Barça

The goal-saving hero they draw from Barcelona is barely 18 years old. He is Vítor Roque and he arrives as an early gift for Three Kings Night. A man, although a player in training given his young age, a generator of enthusiasm, and a footballer with whom they promise to put an end to the lack of goals in a team where Robert Lewandowski is lost in the corners of the goal, since he has only scored eight goals in LaLiga. But, above all, it is the hope of an attitude towards the lack of “soul” that Xavi Hernández suffered so much from after the game against Almería. “You already know what the Brazilian players represent in this club, in addition to their quality and indisputable magic, they have that smile. Vitor Roque has what is sorely lacking in this world, a positive attitude and a smile. I appreciate his involvement in these club days,” explained Rafa Yuste – vice president and head of the player's presentation and in the absence of Joan Laporta – after going out onto the pitch accompanied by the footballer.

“He is a competitive beast,” Xavi defined Vitor Roque. Despite the announcement of his signing in the summer, arriving more than a week ago and being registered in extremis For the match against Las Palmas, the Brazilian footballer was presented this Friday. A brief and only regulatory act, since on Thursday he made his debut with the Barça shield against García Pimienta's team in the midst of uncertainty due to Barcelona's game and a narrow victory in the last minutes. Without Laporta, with Roque having slept four hours after the flight from the Canary Islands and under the watchful eye of his father. “Debuting with the shirt is a dream come true that he had since he was a child. All my colleagues have received me very well. “I am very happy,” he said, smiling. Tigrinho after signing the contract, the canvas with his name and holding the shirt with the number 19 next to sports director Deco. The man whom Yuste praised for the work of bringing the young man to the Ciutat Esportiva: “All this does not happen by chance.”

Nor does it happen by chance that Xavi decided to do without Lewandowski 20 minutes from the end of the match against Las Palmas. With the alarm bells already going off and with the Barça coach asking for “respect” for the current champion, Barcelona could not even settle for a draw. And without a single shot on goal at half-time, the Pole sat on the bench for Lamine Yamal. It was not a warning, according to Xavi, but a simple act from which he did not want to spark controversy: “he was substituted because we needed attackers who attacked behind the defense, like Vitor Roque or Ferran.” Something that the Valencian player himself complemented: “The more competition, the better for the team, and also on an individual level.” A change that served as a prelude to what everyone expected: for the tiger to roar.

Vitor Roque came on to the field in the 78th minute to replace Ferran. “Calm down, just play and score,” Xavi told his new player. He had several chances that made the culés smile – and even Lewandowski got up to cheer him on from the sideline – and forget for a few minutes about how he played and the rest of the team didn't play. But the winning goal did not come from his boots. “When Gündogan scored the penalty goal, there was a huge communion with all his teammates, including Vitor. That's what Xavi meant by making a family. And it's just what we want. We need this joy to make this club more and more powerful,” Yuste concluded before Roque's smile before giving him the FC Barcelona membership number.

“We believe in him a lot. He is very young, we have to give him time. We hope he shows that he is a player who has a goal and the characteristics of a forward,” Deco assured before the match against Las Palmas. Vitor Roque landed in Barcelona on December 27 and began training under the orders of that the 40 million euros from the Libero Football Finance AG investment fund did not arrive.

It arrived under a premise: 30 million euros plus 31 in variables for the forward from Athletico Paranense, where he scored 28 goals plus 11 assists in the 81 games he played. He will be a Barcelona footballer until the 2030-31 season, with the hope that his goalscoring and incisive ability will increase and he will become a key player over time. For now, after the match against Las Palmas, the victory serves as a time out in Xavi's football slump.

João Cancelo, with a sprained knee ligament

João Cancelo has a strain of the internal lateral ligament in his left knee and is low. He will therefore miss the Copa del Rey match against Barbastro and also the match against Osasuna in the Spanish Super Cup. Only a few minutes had passed since the start of the game. Cancelo fell to the ground after a chance collision when trying to hit the ball at the same time as another player from the rival team. He was limping, walking away from the field and the medical assistants bandaged his left knee. After a few long minutes with one less, the Portuguese winger rejoined, but he could not sprint without avoiding limping. And after jumping onto the field again, Raphinha accompanied him to the band. With chaos wreaking havoc on the match, Las Palmas scored the first goal, and Barça fell apart until they finally managed to make a comeback.

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