Real Madrid star could have signed for Barcelona: 'They betrayed us'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 13 Jul 2023 20:20 BST
• 3 min read

Vinicius Jr was close to joining Barcelona before his representatives 'betrayed' the Blaugrana, according to Vitor Roque's agent.

Arda Guler isn't the only Real Madrid player who was the subject of a tug-of-war between Barcelona and Los Blancos. The Blaugrana thought they had a deal for the Turkish wonderkid wrapped up when sporting director Deco travelled to Istanbul. Real Madrid ultimately swooped in and landed the youngster, enraging Barcelona in the process.

The Catalans have since snapped up another talented teenager in Vitor Roque, but his agent has now claimed that Barcelona could also have Vinicius Jr in their team now had it not been for a 'betrayal.'

Speaking to Cadena SER, Andre Cury, Roque's representative, made some explosive claims about Real Madrid's pursuit - or lack thereof - of Vinicius Jr.

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What did Cury say?

The winger was Brazil's hottest prospect in the mid to late 2010s when he was at Flamengo and Los Blancos parted with €45 million to land Vinicius Jr in 2018, but they didn't even know who he was, according to Cury.

"Everything was arranged and Madrid found out that he was in Barcelona and they invited him to go to Madrid," the agent asserts, "but in Madrid they didn’t even know him."

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"Vinicius went to Madrid because that’s what his agents chose. We had been working on the transfer for three years and his agents betrayed us."

The 23-year-old, claims Cury, is a boyhood Barcelona fan. "Vinicius told me that he was cule. He cried after Barca’s 6-1 against PSG [in 2017]. That’s what he told me, I don’t know what he said to others."

Before becoming an agent, Cury was a scout for Barcelona in Brazil and he was instrumental in bringing Neymar to the Camp Nou. He also facilitated Vitor Roque's move from Athletico Paranaense, with the striker set to join next year.