Vitor Roque: Have Barcelona signed the new Ronaldo?

“The contract is signed, and the deal concluded,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said when asked about Vitor Roque and then a few hours later, both the Brazilian club Paranaense and Barca confirmed the deal on their respective club homepages and social media channels. According to various media reports, the LaLiga club will pay an initial fee of €40 million to Paranaense plus an additional €21m in add-ons—the entire package will make Roque the second most expensive player ever to leave Brazil’s Série A. 

Vitor Roque has signed a contract until 2031 and has an exit clause of €500m integrated in his contract. With a market value of €18m, the one-time Brazilian national team player is one of the most valuable players playing in Brazil at the moment. At Barca, he will become the most expensive U18 signing, replacing Pedri in that category. 

Talents Calendar Vitor Roque in-depth To the article Because Barca have to stay within Financial Fair Play rules (FFP), the transfer will not be completed until the summer of 2024. The Spanish paper Sport reported that to sign Roque this year, Barca would have to sell several players. Candidates to leave the club are Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and Raphinha. All three are under contract until 2027 and would command a significant fee. 

Vitor Roque to Barcelona: The Brazilian wunderkind scouted

What can Barca fans expect from Vitor Roque? Goals, only 18, Roque has already scored 22 goals and eight assists in 65 games for Paranaense. In 13 games for Paranaense in the Série A, Roque has managed seven goals in two games. That is a goal every 133 minutes. An incredible clip for an 18-year-old. In fact, only Botafogo forward Tiquinho Soares has scored more goals than Roque in the Brasileiro this season. 

But it is not just the number of goals that he scores that makes him special. “He is extremely clutch also,” Brazilian football expert Filippo Silva and host of the popular Tactical Manager TV channel on YouTube said to Transfermarkt. “Roque is one of those players who always seems to get a decisive assist or goal.” Area Manager Brazil Marcos Watts, in the meantime, compared Roque to Brazilian legend Ronaldo. “He is the same style of player,” Watts said. “I think Barca saw that Ronaldo sparkle in Vitor Roque and then decided that they should get him at all costs.” 

Furthermore, Watts believes that Roque is a generational talent. “He’s got stunning speed and skills, is very composed on the ball, and has a good finish—pretty much everything you can ask for in a 175cm striker.” Silva very much seems to agree with that assessment and described Roque as a complete forward. “He has amazing technique, hold-up play, combination play, is fairly strong, and when given the opportunity, will score.” 

Vitor Roque was crucial for Paranaense: But what is his ceiling?

At Paranense, Vitor Roque has become a crucial player since the club triggered his €4.7m release clause to sign him from Cruzeiro in 2022. Roque then helped his new club reach the final of the Libertadores. “That was a massive overachievement for them,” Silva said. “They knocked out massive clubs on the way to the final, including Palmeiras, which had won the previous two editions.” Roque scored two goals and two assists on the way to the final. Both assists came in the semifinals against Palmeiras. 

With that in mind, what will be Roque’s ultimate ceiling? “I think he's bound to become Brazil's #9 for the next two or three World Cups—and I believe he'll be much better than Endrick,” TM Brazil Area Manager Watts said. Silva, too, agrees that Roque can become a world-class player. “He is just a very well-rounded center-forward and will be world-class if he reaches his ceiling.”