La Masia unwavering quest for players in every corner of the earth eventually led the club to Brazil, where they found a teenage player at an off-brand club.
He was invited for a trial at La Masia academy, and the Casa Grande player flew to Barcelona over the weekend and trained with the club’s technical staff this afternoon.
The invitation, originally sparked by an interest from sporting director Deco, was made to assess the teenager’s potential going forward with the Blaugrana.
While the trial does not justify a contract, it underlines Barcelona’s propensity for recruiting and developing youth talent from unconventional footballing places, as demonstrated with the club’s more recent acquisition of Diarra Ibrahim and David Oduro from Africa.
The player in question is João Vitor Roraima, a midfielder from Ibrachina’s Under-17 in São Paulo.
According to Diario Sport, Roraima, a No. 10, is not well known in Brazil or Europe and has not yet been considered for the elite prospects coming out of Brazil, and he hasn’t even represented his country once.
Earlier this year, Roraima played in the Copinha tournament, but still has yet to be considered amongst the best in Brazil.
Ibrachina announced on social media that he is training at the ‘best academy in the world’ and is proud that their player has been given this opportunity.
In a video shared by Ibrachina, Roraima thanked God, his academy, and his supporters, and said he would give everything he could to perform well in this trial.
Barcelona’s technical team will assess Roraima’s abilities over the following days, specifically his creativity, vision, and getting into space.
Although a permanent move wouldn’t be allowed until Roraima turned 18 years old, it is a positive first step in assessing if he is a potential fit within the philosophy of the club.
As is well known, it isn’t out of the ordinary for Barcelona to discover diamonds in the rough through this type of trial, as they appreciate a sustainable model, and now Roraima has a chance to create impact.
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