Barcelona loanee Vitor Roque speaks out on treatment from club – ‘I thought I’d be treated differently’ | OneFootball

Brazilian forward Vitor Roque joined Real Betis on loan in August, leaving Barcelona on loan just seven months after they bought him from Athletico Paranaense for €30m. The 19-year-old has admitted that he was just as baffled by their handling of him as the rest of the public.

The Blaugrana moved his transfer forward in January, but Roque was given just two starts and a little over 300 minutes to prove his worth in his first six months. He finished the season with two goals in 16 appearances, but both Xavi Hernandez and Hansi Flick decided he was not worth a spot in their squad for this season. Roque has broken his silence on his spell at Barcelona for the first time.

“It was a little difficult for me. I had some opportunities, but not in the way I thought. My head is clear. Now I am focused on Betis and thanking God for the opportunity to wear the national team shirt again,” Roque told the media, as quoted by Diario AS.

“I thought that it was going to be different, both in the treatment and in the way of playing, and in the way of talking to me about the board. But it’s over,” Roque explained.

The forward played 82 minutes for Brazil’s under-20 side during a 2-1 win over Mexico, wearing the captain’s armband. Roque admitted that he had had mental help to come to terms with his situation, but this was nothing new for him.

“I have always been in therapy, with a mental coach. He has always helped me, since I was 16, when I also went through some obstacles. Today I try to do it too, it has helped me a lot to overcome several obstacles.”

“When I left, I did speak. One of the first times… I tried to understand why many things were happening, which I am not going to tell here. At Betis they welcomed me very well, I am very happy to be there and to have the opportunity to play there.”

Roque made his Betis debut against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last weekend, playing 33 minutes. Manuel Pellegrini will be placing plenty of faith in him this season, with Chimy Avila, Cedric Bakambu, Aitor Ruibal and Juanmi are his competition for the spot up front, but only the Congolese is a quintessential number nine in the classic sense.