Vitor Roque: From ugly duckling to star under Abel at Palmeiras | OneFootball

Vitor Roque was one of the main protagonists in Palmeiras' victory over Santos by 2-0 last Thursday, in the 32nd round of the Brazilian Championship. The number 9 shone with two goals, one of them a chip shot, and secured the win for Verdão at Allianz Parque.

The Alviverde center forward is going through a brilliant phase and had his good form recognized by coach Carlo Ancelotti, who called him up to play for the Brazilian National Team in the November friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia. But the player's journey at Palmeiras didn't start out this way.

The striker had a timid start at Verdão and took a while to break his duck. The first goal of the ‘Little Tiger’ for Palmeiras only came at the beginning of May, when he lifted a weight off his shoulders by scoring against Vasco. From then on, he started to form a partnership with Flaco López and began scoring goals consistently.

With 15 goals, Vitor Roque is already closing in on the top scorers of the Brasileirão: Kaio Jorge and Arrascaeta, both with 17 goals. Coach Abel Ferreira praised the recent performance of the center forward but recalled the weight of criticism at the start of the player's spell at Palmeiras.

“I have a hard time praising my players, they get excited and then [laughs]… He’s the ugly duckling who turned into a swan. Many of you helped make him the ugly duckling. Many of you sitting there. If he had seen and believed what you said, the nonsense you spoke… he would have stopped being a player. Luckily, he knows who his coach is. Luckily, his coach knows where he is, how things work, and took care of him. What we do best here is take care. Maybe, I’m even better at that. He’s the ugly duckling who turned into a swan and, maybe, the same people who criticized him are now saying he’s the best player in the world,” said Abel.

The center forward has 19 goals and five assists in 51 games wearing the Verdão shirt. In the last 20 games, he has found the net 15 times. It's no wonder he was called up by Ancelotti, who has already stated he wants to test the player in the Brazilian National Team. Abel mentioned his role in Vitor Roque’s growth but made it clear that all the credit belongs to the youngster.

“For him, it’s the same thing. Ice, calm, this is the path, this is the consistency. He went to the National Team as a result of his own work, because I don’t run, I don’t train for him. As a teacher and coach, that’s my job, to help him in the best way I can. But the real protagonist is him. He’s the one who makes things happen. All the credit for the ugly duckling who turned into a swan is his. We gave him time for his feathers to change, and for people to see over time that this player is more than what he showed at other clubs, because he certainly didn’t have the support and care that we provide here,” emphasized the coach.

Resilience is part of the job

Part of a football coach’s job is knowing how to stay calm when things aren’t going well. And for Abel Ferreira, resilience has paid off—as was the case with Vitor Roque himself, in whom the Portuguese coach persisted despite criticism for his lack of goals at the start of the year.

“I already have enough age and experience to understand that a championship and a season are long, with ups and downs. We’re going to suffer, we’ll have moments of euphoria, discouragement, frustration, but I think there’s one characteristic that is the best anyone can have: resilience. It’s being able to be resilient and understand that things won’t always go as we want or plan. But that’s the greatest talent we can have, to push, adjust the sails if necessary, to get back on the right track. And even when we’re on the right track, obstacles will appear. Stay calm in moments when it seems like everyone is criticizing everything that happens,” he said.

Palmeiras showed resilience, for example, when they pulled off the historic comeback against LDU, winning 4-0 and advancing to the Libertadores final. All this after two tough defeats—one in Quito and another to Flamengo, in a direct clash for the lead in the Brazilian Championship.

“When everyone is euphoric, it’s about keeping our feet on the ground and saying it was just three points, there’s still a long way to go. The mental side is important in football and in life. We have to focus on what we can control. Not worry about what the neighbor has, what he achieved. Sometimes, we forget to see the process that led people to where they are. I think the mental side is not just in football, but in life. It’s one of the factors that affects performance, not the only one. When you are balanced—technically, tactically, physically, and mentally—in harmony with yourself, it’s less difficult to overcome challenges, like today against Santos. This is daily work. Balance and resilience will always be the right way to achieve our goals,” concluded the Portuguese coach.

Current standings

With this result, Palmeiras not only remained at the top of the Brasileirão but also opened up a three-point lead over Flamengo, the runner-up in the competition. Verdão reached 68 points, while the team from Rio has 65. The Alviverde also achieved their third consecutive win across all competitions.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.