“The cool smile”. This is what Rafa Yuste named Vitor Roque yesterday in his presentation as a Barça player. The Brazilian, who already made his debut with Xavi Hernández’s team against Las Palmas on Thursday, set foot on the turf of the sports city, which he has been frequenting for a few days now, under the watchful eye of Deco, his great supporter. The striker who is called to mark the resurrection of a Barça still with many needs arrives in Barcelona to “fulfill a dream”. Shy, looking more at the ball than the cameras, Roque initialed his signature on the contract that binds him to Barça until 2031.
Under the clouded sky of Sant Joan Despí and still with a sleepy face, after the arrival of the Canary Islands’ matinee team, Vitor Roque advanced towards the large canvas that had his face printed on it. He looked surreptitiously towards the stand, where in addition to his family there was also a whole entourage from the Culler offices. Deco looked at him from above, watching as his new protégé advanced towards the lectern accompanied by Rafael Yuste, first vice-president of FC Barcelona, who presided over the event in the absence of the president, Joan Laporta. Bojan Krkic and Enric Massip did not miss the appointment. Tigrinho arrived in Barcelona on December 27 and, since then, he has been the center of attention. Both in his first training sessions, escorted by Araujo and Raphinha, as well as in his debut, during the match against Las Palmas the night before his presentation. His premiere lasted 12 minutes and, despite being able to draw few conclusions, he convinced Xavi. “He’s a competitive beast,” Yuste said of the coach after the game.
“I slept for four hours,” he explained with a laugh and visibly nervous. The 18-year-old arrives at Barça with the added responsibility of making fans enjoy and smile again. His playfulness with the ball and his boldness make him a key and necessary piece for the cogs of the culer set to start working.
The missing joy
First he touched the suit, where Vitor Roque freaked out as much as he could, always staring at the Blaugrana ball that was resting outside the grass. “Vitor Roque has what is missing a lot in this world: a smile,” started Yuste next to the Brazilian star, who wanted to emphasize the striker’s commitment since joining the Barça discipline. “This squad is a family, we saw it yesterday in the celebration of Gündogan’s goal. We need joy so that this group is more and more powerful.” “Yesterday he went to an event with the fans in Las Palmas. He wants to get involved and know why we are more than a club,” added Yuste, assessing the player’s integration effort.
One more partner
When Barça’s first vice-president took off his shirt, with the number 19 on the back, Roque eagerly took it. He posed with her, and with Yuste and Deco, who jumped the fence to join the photo, and a smile from ear to ear. After the formal photos and the signing of the contract, Roque took a small box that was resting on the lectern. When he opened it, he became thoughtful and, with determination, began to read the information that appeared on his new card that accredits him as one more culer: he is member 147,522.
And after leaving the dress at the locker, it was time to get dressed in shorts. Nervous, he jumped onto the field, always stepping on the grass first with his right foot and stood right in front of his recently signed canvas which the Barça Foundation will auction for charity. With the ball at their feet, they played the juggling act of rigor. Nervous, with no desire to become a meme as has happened in other presentations, Vitor Roque smiled. After a few touches, he looked at his family and the club’s communications officers with a doubt: “Do I do more?”.
Roque arrives in Barcelona to enjoy himself, to make people smile and, of course, to delight fans with his delights and goals. Go to the dressing room in a moment of need, both for football and for smiles..
2024-01-06 08:08:34
#Vitor #Roque #smile #goal
