Barça’s future No.9 aiming for the Golden Boot in Brazil
Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Neymar. Soon, Camp Nou will echo with a new name: Vitor Roque. The 18-year-old striker and Brasileirão Golden Boot contender will soon grace the legendary grass in Barcelona.
With Robert Lewandowski facing difficulties in scoring for FC Barcelona since the World Cup, Xavi might be pleased to see his future striker scoring for fun at Athletico Paranaense on the other side of the Atlantic.
In 2023, the young striker has 19 goals and 8 assists to his name, making him the U-20 player with the most goals and goal contributions globally. Impressive numbers. Especially taking into consideration that he plays for a team currently placed 7th in the Brazilian Serie A.
After his latest goal against Fluminense on Sunday evening, the future Barça striker ranks second on the top goalscorer chart in the Brasileirão with 10 goals. This tally puts him only three goals behind Tiquinho Soares (Botafogo), who is sidelined for a few months due to a knee injury. Not bad for an 18-year-old striker who has already proven his goalscoring prowess in various styles. To put it into context, he is only two goals short of matching Gabriel Jesus' league total in 2016, with 17 match days left in the Brazilian Serie A.
Last Tuesday, 'Tigrinho' (the 'Little Tiger') scored a stunning goal from the edge of the box against Goiás as he elegantly placed the ball into the top corner. Then on Sunday evening against Fluminense, he was once again on the scoresheet. This time with a brilliant header that secured his team a draw in the 93rd minute. This display of versatility might come in handy for FC Barcelona, who are currently struggling to find the back of the net.
Top Brazilian talents move to Europe all the time, and they are always dubbed the next Neymar, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo. Typically, they bring with them dazzling skills, vibrant personalities and speed, but more often than not, their potential never unfolds to the level expected.
The bar has also been set high by those renowned names, but when observing Roque, it becomes clear that he perhaps has a bit more in common with R9 than what we have seen before.
Much like Ronaldo, Roque’s playing style is goal-oriented and direct. He is rapid and scores on just about anything. He does not have the samba flair of Neymar and Vinicius Jr., but he is capable of receiving the ball under pressure, and his speed allows him to outrun most of his opponents. A natural-born goal scorer, Roque has an instinctive nose for goals. Always positioned correctly and with excellent finishing skills, he averages a goal contribution every 107 mins and only takes 3.3 shots on average to score a goal.
The question remains however, if he will be the solution to Barcelona’s offensive woes? How will Xavi utilize the strengths of Roque against teams that park the bus? These are questions yet to be answered, but if Xavi can unlock the potential in this Brazilian striker, Barcelona may find themselves with a generational talent.
Vitor Roque's transfer to FC Barcelona was officially confirmed in July for a fee of around €30m with another €31m in potential add-ons. However, the 18-year-old striker won't be available for Xavi's selection until the onset of the new year at the earliest, as Paranaense aim to retain their leading goalscorer for the maximum duration possible.
Regardless of the timing of his arrival in Spain, it appears that Barcelona has secured an exceptional talent. Roque's future impact at FC Barcelona could be transformative, reshaping the offensive strategy with his goal-scoring prowess. His arrival is therefore eagerly anticipated at Camp Nou where Xavi is aiming to shape a squad capable of producing a new era of greatness.