In December Barcelona splashed the cash to bring Vitor Roque from Brazil in a deal worth €64m. But Roque has struggled to show anything worth the high price paid for him, mostly because he sits on the bench more often than not.
On Monday, Roque's agent Andre Cury decided to rain fire and brimstone at Barca manager Xavi for the way he's treated the 19-year-old. The agent went on to reference Vinicus Jr.'s situation during his early days at Real Madrid.
"Vitor Roque is a very strong player mentally. Many people talk nonsense, explain incorrect figures about the operation and all this goes against it," Cury said.
"Look what has happened with Vinicius in Madrid: it took him two and a half years to play. Here in two months, a mess is already created and people want to kill and kill! instead of helping. It's something I don't understand"
This agent also fails to understand that there's a big difference in how Real Madrid manages young players compared to Barca. The Catalans seem to prioritize giving opportunities to players from their La Masia Academy or Spaniards. Examples are aplenty, like Gavi, Cubarsi, Yamal and Balde.
At Real Madrid, young players who arrive from a foreign land get opportunities to show what they can do.
Vinicius arrived in Madrid from Flamengo in 2018 for €45m. He played 30 games for the senior team in his first season and scored three goals plus 12 assists. The teenager racked up almost 2000 minutes of first-team football.
Roque has only played 300 minutes for Barca since joining them at the start of the year. The difference is clear.
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