Brazilian wonderkid back to scoring ways ahead of move to Barcelona

It is looking increasingly likely that FC Barcelona will have Vitor Roque in their squad in the winter transfer window. The position taken by the club’s officials in the last few weeks shows that the club is willing to do its best to ensure Roque’s arrival in January.

The Brazilian has now completely recovered from an injury that kept him out of action for around two months, and as SPORT has noted, has already returned to his scoring ways in Brazil.

His first goal after the injury came in a Brazilian Serie A match against Cruzeiro, who are currently in the relegation zone and were thus defending with their lives against Vitor Roque’s Athletico Paranaense.

This was Roque’s second match after his recovery, as he made an appearance last Saturday against Vasco de Gama, and played the last 26 minutes. In the Cruzeiro match, he was brought on for the second half by Athletico Paranaense coach, Wesley Carvalho.

Roque needed only around 20 minutes after stepping onto the pitch to make himself known, as he scored the opening goal of the match in the 65^th minute.

The striker finished a move with his thigh that was started with a deep pass from the former Manchester City midfielder, Fernandinho, to Erick, who sent the ball from the right to Roque, whose strike ended the ball in the back of the net.

This goal was particularly special for Vitor Roque, not only because he scored it after a difficult two-month period, but also because it came against a club where he had made his professional debut. The match ended with a 1-1 scoreline, with Roque’s goal giving his team a precious point.

The youngster now has 12 goals in the Brazilian league and takes his tally for 2023 to 21 goals and seven assists in 44 matches. These numbers would have been even better if not for the two-month spell on the sidelines.

The next match against Santos will be his last match for Athletico Paranaense, after which he will move to Barcelona. Hopefully, he can continue with this form in Europe as well, and help Barcelona in the difficult second half of the season.