Vitor Roque takes shots at Xavi – “At Barcelona I learned a lot about the good things and the bad things” | OneFootball

Real Betis forward Vitor Roque has arrived with plenty of baggage in Seville following a torrid six months at Barcelona, which he is unloading bit by bit. Roque seems to be settling in at the Benito Villamarin though.

After receiving no shortage of criticism at Barcelona, Roque appears to be trying to put his stint in Catalonia behind him.

“I don’t read many things about Barcelona. I’m focused on Betis, I’m happy here and I don’t think about what they say there. The information always arrives on its own,” he told Canal Sur, as quoted by Sport.

“I am young but I have had a bad time in football, although I have always taken it as a learning experience. At Barca I learned a lot about the good things and the bad too, but now I am very happy at Betis. It is difficult to get there after they paid so much for me, and if people don’t help you, it’s even more difficult.”

Roque said that while he was content to have four goals to his name so far, he feels he can do much better and is working on slowing down sometimes when he gets the ball. The Brazilian teenager could also have gone to Sporting CP this summer, but preferred to move to the Benito Villamarin.

“The two offers came to me at the same time, but I was always closer to Betis because of the sporting project and the project for my family. I wanted to continue in Spain and there Barca behaved well because they made things easier for me. I am focused on Betis and I don’t think about anything else. And I hope I can win a title here.”

The 19-year-old joined Barcelona in €30m move with an extra €31m available in variables for Athletico Paranaense in January, but struggled to make an impact. His words will be taken as a shot at former manager Xavi Hernandez. A number of youngsters have been successful at Barcelona in recent years, but making the jump across continents is far from easy, as opposed to coming from the academy or Barca Atletic team.