Vitor Roque ended months of waiting as he was finally presented as a Barcelona player after the teenager finalised his big-money transfer from Athletico Paranaense.
The Brazilian had landed in the early hours of the morning in Barcelona after making his debut against Las Palmas the night before, as Xavi Hernandez’s side scraped a 2-1 win over their 10-man opponents.
The prohibited steps of Robert Lewandowski and his wife at the end of the year
Barcelona president Joan Laporta was not present at the event, as he is still in Dubai resolving financial matters for the benefit of the club.
Instead, it was Rafael Yuste, vice president for sport, with whom Vitor Roque signed the contract on the Tito Vilanova pitch at the Ciudad Deportiva.
After posing for photos as is protocol when signing for the Blaugrana, they were joined by Deco, the club’s sporting director. Yuste then took the floor to welcome the new signing.
“You know what Brazilians represent, which is a smile. I have already shared training sessions with him and he is always smiling with a positive attitude,” Yuste said.
“As Xavi defined him, he is a competitive beast. I would also highlight his involvement, in Las Palmas he was at an event with the supporters’ clubs.”
Yuste also credited Deco for his role in finalising the deal, with the ex-footballer known to have been crucial in convincing the striker to join the LaLiga champions.
Vitor Roque’s first words as a Barcelona player
Finally, it was Vitor Roque’s turn to speak. At 18 years of age, he was sparing with his words after an exhausting journey that saw him make his official debut for the club.
“I’ve only been able to sleep for four hours. Debuting with Barcelona has been a dream come true that I had since I was a child,” he said.
“I am very happy. Xavi told me to be calm and if I could, to score. My team-mates have received me very well”.
The player proceeded to put on his kit and followed in the footsteps of Neymar and Ronaldinho by juggling the ball in front of the media.