Barcelona have given Vitor Roque the big sell – but what he really needs is time

There is always a throng of fans by the entrance to Barcelona’s training ground, waiting patiently for a chance to see the team’s stars on their way in.

Supporters position themselves at strategic points along the dual carriageway leading to and from the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper car park, hoping to get an autograph or a selfie with their idols.

On Friday, the crowds were even bigger than usual — a sign of the hype that has been generated around new signing Vitor Roque, who was that morning to be officially unveiled before the media.

The 18-year-old Brazilian — who has just arrived in a deal agreed last summer and worth €30million (£25.8m; $32.8m at current exchange rates) plus as much again in potential add-ons — had already played his first minutes for the club, coming on as a substitute in the previous night’s La Liga trip to Las Palmas. There wouldn’t have been much time for the young forward to sleep.

Years ago, player presentations used to take place at the Camp Nou in front of fans, but this tradition has faded in recent times. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic or the redevelopment works at Barca’s home ground that started in earnest in July, new signings have been introduced to the cameras behind closed doors by the Tito Vilanova pitch at the club’s training complex.

But there has been nothing low-key about the club’s marketing campaign around Roque. The day before he landed in Barcelona, the club published a video featuring a CGI tiger prowling across the pitch at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, their temporary home. Roque’s nickname — tigrinho (‘little tiger’ in Portuguese) — could even be used as a discount code to access cheaper match tickets over the next month.

GO DEEPER

How Barcelona are making Montjuic home – and why there were so few fans for Atletico game

Social media posts followed Roque looking around the Barca museum, visiting city landmarks, and printing his own shirt in the club shop. It all added up to a slickly coordinated call to action — and was louder and more sophisticated than anything we have seen accompany other recent signings, even that of Robert Lewandowski.

All of this has contributed to a sense of unreasonable expectation building around Roque; a still unproven and developing young talent, one who would undoubtedly benefit from a good deal of time to adjust to the particular demands of playing in Europe and at Barcelona.

There are a few reasons why the hype has gone into overdrive, beyond the need to sell tickets and shirts.

It is true that many Barcelona fans are still struggling emotionally with the departure of Lionel Messi. When Lewandowski arrived, there was a feeling he would be the player to act as a figurehead, the star around whom fans’ excitement and dreams of success would crystallise.

The Poland striker arrived in July 2022 and was last season’s La Liga top scorer as Xavi’s side were crowned champions for the first time in four years. The 35-year-old leads the way at Barca with eight strikes in the competition so far this term, but recent performances have disappointed. He has been erratic in terms of his ball control in games and has not helped the team’s pressing.

GO DEEPER

Lewandowski has become a problem for Barcelona. No wonder they’re going for Vitor Roque

All this has caused unease in the team and it was a big part of the reason Roque’s move was accelerated this winter — a previous plan was for him to join the team this coming summer. Many fans The Athletic spoke with on Friday saw his arrival as some kind of catalyst that would help transform what has so far been a disappointing season for the team. Despite Roque’s inexperience and the fact some had only seen the player in action in online clips, these fans seemed convinced by the tone of Barca’s publicity.

“With Vitor Roque, we hope to have the luck that Real Madrid had with Vinicius Junior,” one 19-year-old supporter said outside the Ciutat Esportiva.

“He’s the kind of player we needed to give Lewandowski a rest. Plus, he’ll get him back on his feet. At the moment, Lewandowski has already returned from the Christmas break a day earlier than the rest of his team-mates because he knows he has to give more or Vitor Roque will pass him.”

Another younger fan listening in joined the conversation.

“I think he has to generate enthusiasm,” he said. “I don’t know how he plays, but from what I’ve seen in highlights he looks good.”

Two other young men close by gestured in agreement. “We’re excited because we’re in need,” one of them said.

Talking to some of the older supporters, this is a view universally adopted by a fanbase that is quite well known for its tendency towards pessimism, which has to be a good thing.

“We don’t know how it will turn out,” one fan said. “The normal thing for me is to expect absolutely nothing from any signing like this.

“He’s only played in Brazil, he has no experience in Europe or at a serious competitive level. He looks like he’ll be loaned out at the end of the season and in three years we’ll have sent him back to Athletico Paranaense or Flamengo.”

Everybody associated with Barcelona will hope that does not happen, but there have been plenty of past signings that have gone a similar way. The most important thing is to give Roque the time he needs, but already it feels like the particular circumstances around the team right now mean time may not be as available as it should be. That comparison with Vinicius Jr comes to mind again. Madrid’s 23-year-old Brazilian forward was by no means an immediate success.

After seeing how some young talents have suffered from injuries, one of the team’s priorities should be to protect those who are coming through, such as 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.

GO DEEPER

Lamine Yamal: Barcelona’s young prodigy and the proud neighbourhood that shaped him

We will also have to see what Roque’s signing means for the development of players such as 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu, who stood out with goals against Athletic Bilbao and Royal Antwerp across his opportunities with the first team this campaign.

Roque’s debut came in Gran Canaria against Las Palmas last week. His performance showed a lot of attitude and the 12 minutes he played could have brought his first goal, but he failed to finish a very good opportunity.

Against fourth-tier side UD Barbastro in the Spanish Cup on Sunday night, he repeated the script. He came on in the 64th minute and was positioned as a centre-forward. He pressed well and again showed attitude and hunger. He drifted out to the left when Lewandowski, with whom he was sharing the pitch for the first time, came on eight minutes later and in the game’s closing stages again failed to finish from a good chance.

Roque is likely to get more time to show what he can do on the pitch this week in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, where Barcelona play Osasuna in their semi-final on Thursday. The competition comes at a crucial moment in Barcelona’s season and Xavi will certainly be hoping success (and a more convincing style of play) can act as a springboard towards salvaging 2023-24, just as it did last year.

But none of that should really matter to Roque’s development — his success should be judged over a much longer term.

(Top photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)