The true story behind Vitor Roque’s early arrival and failed stint at Barcelona | OneFootball

Vitor Roque, to this day, remains one of Barcelona’s most puzzling signings in recent years.

His arrival at the club, struggle for minutes, departure on loan, and return to Brazil all unfolded in a matter of months and it is hard to believe that he was even a Barcelona player not too long ago.

A lot of theories have been brewed about the reason his signing was a failure but SPORT has come forward with the story of Roque’s early arrival at Barcelona, explaining exactly what went down behind the scenes, after Deco mentioned it was Xavi who requested for it.

A signing that was never wanted

The outlet takes the story of Roque back to the 2022-23 season when then-director Mateu Alemany and sporting director Jordi Cruyff met with Deco and Andre Cury to discuss some of the bright young talents in Brazil.

Deco, at that time, was not linked with the club and put forth the name of Roque as a highly talented player who simply could not be missed out on. The intention was to name him as a long-term bet.

The Blaugrana expressed optimism towards the long-term concept and showed interest in the player, all while telling the manager Xavi that the signing would not be made in the short term.

Then followed a change of hands in the Barcelona administration with Cruyff and Alemany being replaced by none other than Deco who was greeted by a club in financial jeopardy and little space to sign new players.

The administration communicated to Xavi in June 2023 that Roque’s signing was all but closed and that the player would arrive as early as the 2024-25 season.

Things never clicked for Roque at Barcelona. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Come January, though, the situation changed. Xavi pushed for a new pivot but the new sporting director communicated that there was no space on the FFP to bring in a new name in the winter transfer market.

Xavi was citing Oriol Romeu’s poor form and Gavi’s ACL injury as reasons to bring in a new midfielder. Names like Jorginho and Thomas Partey were put on the table but ruled out by the sporting management.

Deco presented the option of Dion Lopy from Almeria but the coaching staff shot it down.

Concurrently, however, Deco & co. told the manager that Roque would arrive in the same window, six months earlier than anticipated, and that Roque’s incorporation would not be an issue on the FFP front.

Xavi thus welcomed Roque in January, owing to the circumstances, which is not what Deco said in a recent interview, as the Barcelona director insisted that the manager had requested the Brazilian forward’s early arrival.

Notably, however, Xavi did not trust him enough as a regular player given that he was never in the plans for the season.

Moreover, the player did not feel comfortable, nor did he show anything of substance in training to warrant more minutes. Maybe it was because of his young age, his move to a new environment, or the size and pressure of Barcelona, but things never clicked.

Eventually, after barely playing for the rest of the season, Roque left Barcelona for Real Betis on loan last summer before returning to Brazil in January.