From a defensive midfielder to a new Da Luo! Is it worth it for Barça to spend 61 million to buy Roque?
Unlike most children from the slums, Roque grew up in a middle-class Brazilian family. He started out as a defensive midfielder like his father, but he rose to prominence after transforming into a striker.
Under Deco's recommendation, Barca spent a fixed transfer fee of 30 million euros + 31 million euros floating (it is not yet clear who will pay the other 13 million in taxes) to get the successor of Ronaldo, known as the No. 9 of the new era.
01. Change 4 owners in 5 years: Is there a premium for Alemanni to negotiate?
a. The 4th owner in 5 years: is he really a new Da Luo?
Roque's father was a defensive midfielder in the amateur league in his early years, and growing up in a relatively wealthy midfield family, Roque was able to grow more freely.
He entered the Academy of América Mineiro at the age of 10, but switched to Cruzeiro at the age of 14, where the former gained 35% ownership of Roque through a lawsuit.
Three years later, Roque, who was about to be 17, moved to Atletico Paranaense for 4.7 million euros, breaking the latter's all-time record.
Atletico Paranaense clearly won too much from the deal, buying Roque in April 2022 and just 15 months later, they sold the 18-year-old to La Liga giants for a fixed transfer fee of €30 million + €31 million (of which €20 million is floating-linked appearances, 11 million is the prize money for winning the Ballon d'Or and being shortlisted for the top three of the Ballon d'Or).
Former Brazilian football superstar Ronaldo has a high opinion of Roque, and in Brazil, he is also known as the No. 9 of the new era, and is also considered the next big Roque.
b. Adecco has a good vision and Alemanni's negotiating ability is worrying
Initially, when Barca had a scandal with Roque, the transfer fee was around 35 million euros, with a Golden Ball bonus. Such a price is relatively risky.
You must know that in the transfer market, although there are rumors that other teams are interested in Roque, the named teams such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, their own reporters or mouthpiece media, do not have Roque's related reports.
So a transfer that was originally 35 million and suddenly increased to 50 million euros (minus the Golden Globe clause and taxes), which is somewhat "premium".
It has to be said that Barca's vision for material selection has been greatly improved after letting Deco be the head of recruitment, but Alemani, who is in charge of negotiation, is still not very powerful.
When Barca first approached Rafinha a year ago, it was because he had a relegation that triggered a €20 million release.
After Leeds' successful relegation, Bayern and Liverpool, who were originally interested in Rafinha, withdrew, and Chelsea became the only rival. As a result, after Alemani made an offer of up to 67 million euros and an annual salary before tax of more than 10 million, Chelsea also gave up.
Against the backdrop of a clear lack of money and insufficient transfer funds, the transfer fee almost doubled, allowing the team to win the joy of supernova, somewhat discounted.
02. Feet bring technical advantage & shooting is his strongest point
a. Bipedal ability: is Roque's core competency
Roque is known as the No. 9 of the new era in Brazil because he has a good fighting temperament and good skills on his feet, and he can play the role of a striker and a winger on the left and right on the pitch.
The basis of his advantage at his feet comes from two-foot possession. However, in terms of the accuracy of the first ball and touch, it is really not outstanding.
Roque is known as a genius, on the one hand, he has a good touch and shot with both feet, and on the other hand, he has the advantage of fast movement in the box.
The moment he catches the ball, he adjusts the space and finishes the shot, which is also a highlight for him.
In addition, with the advantage of touching the ball with both feet, his attack range and attack angle can be large. It is clear from the camera that the first step is sideways and then the left foot wades the ball, followed by the right foot belt.
The explosiveness of the last shot is also good, and the strength in the waist and abdomen is also a key foundation of his success.
The attack in the picture below is also the embodiment of Roque's advantage. After he got the ball, he looked like he was about to fall into a heavy siege, and the result was to rely on the advantage of both feet and split the ball with his left foot to open up the situation.
Roque's speed is not very fast, but his speed of movement and bipedal advantage make him appear fast in the game.
This pass turned the offense from a dead end to a good opportunity for teammates to face the goalkeeper.
b. Scored 7 goals in the last 10 games
Roque has been arguably hot in recent form, having contributed seven goals in the last 10 games for Atletico Paranaense.
Although the vast majority of goals are snatched points in front of goal or outflanked empty goals, behind these goals, he also shows his strong awareness in front of goal.
This kind of movement in front of the door is already Roque's signature shot. He is very good at catching defenders distracted, especially in the Brazilian league.
At the same time, Roque also has the advantage that the shooting action is completed quickly. His speed actually feels a little slower, but the speed of his movements is still very fast.
This time, seeing the ball suddenly come to him, he can instantly use his left foot to play the perfect shot, and it is natural to score more goals.
03. Will you be successful in Europe? Hard power has some flaws
a. Dribbling technique is not as good as legend
As can be seen from the data rating website, Roque's strengths are shots and counter-tackles in front, and his flaws are control of the ball, high-ball confrontation and passing.
It should be said that Roque's dribbling advantage is mainly based on both feet. Once he has space, he can choose from a wide range of offensive lines, but if he really wants to dribble people, the advantage at his feet is very limited.
Roque's passing success rate is not very high, especially when attacking the core area, he can often wear the crotch and can ball through, but people often can't get by.
A lot of Roque's passing stats happen when he picks the ball into the space area or uses the two-foot advantage to bring about a change in the center of gravity.
The problem is that Roque is not fast enough, and it is difficult for him to bring the next ring of acceleration and breakthrough after some of the moves are completed, which can become a problem in Europe where the defensive position is more rigorous.
b. Very fond of confrontation: but strength is not good
Although he is only 1.72 meters tall, and strength is not an advantage, Roque really loves confrontation. He averaged 6.2 wins per game in the Brazilian league (and only 46% success rate), which means he tries almost 13.5 one-on-one matches per game, which is also rare for a striker.
The problem is that he is not a strength advantage in the Brazilian league, and after coming to Europe, his style of playing may be a flaw.
At the Southern Youth Tournament, Roque shined by relying on this continuous physical strong confrontation. However, at the same time as this goal, we must also see that Roque's accuracy in touching the ball is really not high, and his passing is often that the ball passes, and people can't pass.
If he wants to replicate in South America through a lot of confrontation to steal the ball or make mistakes, he needs to strengthen his strength training, otherwise it will not be so easy to wait for the opponent to fall in Europe.
His Brazil debut was against the Moroccan national team, playing almost half an hour, winning only one of three one-on-one matches, completing six touches, three passes (two successful) and 0 shots on goal.
In this wave of attack, Roque's anticipation and movement of opportunities is still excellent, the problem is that the opponent is very focused, he can't find the unmarked opportunity in front of the Brazilian league (he wanted to shoot and was cleared by the defender early, he fouled), so the sense of existence is very low.
Judging by the current technical characteristics, Roque is still a little short of adapting to the European League. Fortunately, he adapted very quickly to the defensive intensity of the Brazilian league, and maybe after coming to Europe, give him a little more time, and things will be completely different.
Conclusion:
The frequency of his feet touching the ball and shooting with his shots will be the reasons for his success.
At the same time, as a striker who is always ready to fight, he also needs to work hard in terms of strength to better stand in Europe.