This stat shows Barça target Vitor Roque is on the way to becoming a star
The Brazilian striker is wanted by the Catalan club
Vitor Roque is a predator who is going global and Barcelona have him on their transfer list for next summer. At 17 years of age (he turns 18 at the end of this month), he is already a decisive striker. He was the revelation of the last edition of the Copa Libertadores, where he reached the final with Ath. Paranaense, and now, in the South American Under-20 Championship, he is making his mark with Brazil.
On Tuesday, Tigrinho, as he is known, scored a brace in the 3-1 win over Ecuador on the first day of the final six-team group stage, which will determine the tournament champion and the three teams that will qualify for the World Cup later this year in Indonesia.
The first goal came when he picked up the ball, got the better of an opponent and struck a right-footed shot from outside the box. The second came when he got away from his marker and took advantage of a deep pass to beat the goalkeeper. All of this was achieved in the space of just 14 minutes, with which he put the game to bed in the first half.
"This is an important victory because it will give us confidence in our objective of winning the championship, which is why we will continue with humility, taking it one step at a time," said the young striker.
With his two goals, Vitor Roque has now scored five goals in the competition being played in Colombia. What's more, there is one record that perfectly reflects his exact degree of importance in the team coached by Ramon Menezes: he is responsible for scoring more than half of his team's goals. That's five of Brazil's nine goals. The other four goals belong to Andrey Santos, the midfielder who has just signed for Chelsea and was also on Barça's agenda.
Confira os melhores momentos da vitória da @CBF_Futebol por 3-1 sobre a @LaTri na CONMEBOL #Sub20. 🔥
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) February 1, 2023
Mira los mejores momentos de la victoria de #Brasil por 3-1 ante #Ecuador en la CONMEBOL #Sub20. 💥 pic.twitter.com/2NtGb3GeM3
Barça are having a very good eye in Brazil when it comes to spotting talent and determining their targets. Another very different thing is the lack of financial muscle to deal with the operations. In this winter market, Andrey Santos, who had the potential to be in the first team, escaped, and it has not been possible to reach an agreement with Flamengo for the loan of 19-year-old right-back Wesley, who would go, in principle, to Barça Atlètic at first.
The club are now considering the name of Vitor Roque as a possible reinforcement, with a view to a summer deal, in the position of No '9'. His role would be to function as a complement to Robert Lewandowski.
