Young Brazilian striker Vitor Roque received an emotional goodbye from Athletico Paranaense supporters last night as he played his final home game for the club before his move to Barcelona in January.
The 18-year-old came off the bench for Rubro-Negro as they comfortably defeated Santos by three goals to nil at Arena de Baixada, leaving them eighth in the Brazilian Serie A table.
In a post-match interview, the young forward said his thanks to the supporters of Athletico Paranaense but that it was time to move on to his ‘dream’:
“I did my best but it’s time for my dream, Barca. I’m working on my mind. I want to be humble at Barca, I want to work and work again. Work very hard. I want and hope to be ready. I’ll do my best for Barca.”
The Timoteo-born attacker began his youth career with America Mineiro in 2015 at the age of just ten before moving to Cruzeiro four years later. He became a professional with Cruzeiro at the start of the 2021 Brazilian Serie B campaign before making 16 appearances and scoring six goals for the club over the next season and a half.
He joined Athletico Paranaense mid-way through 2022 for a fee believed to be just short of £4 million – which remains a club record transfer fee. He had a quiet start with seven goals in 36 appearances in 2022 but scored 12 in 25 Serie A matches this season with 21 in 46 across all competitions at the age of just 18.
In July, it was announced that he would move to Spain to join La Liga giants Barcelona in January 2024, penning a deal until the summer of 2031 with the initial transfer fee being in the region of £26.5 million with bonuses taking it up to potentially over £50 million.
