RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque admitted on Tuesday that he was surprised to learn of his return to Brazil's squad for friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia.
The 20-year-old said he was playing video games with Palmeiras teammate Luiz Benedetti when he received the news on Monday.
"I didn't expect it," Roque told the Sao Paulo club's official website. "I'm just really glad to have this opportunity and hopefully I will be able to help the national team."
Roque, whose only Brazil cap came in 2023, has scored 17 goals and provided five assists across all competitions for Palmeiras since his February move from Barcelona.
It marks a stark change in fortunes for the attacker, who struck twice in 16 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona before netting seven goals in 33 games while on loan for Real Betis.
"I always say that football moves very quickly," he said. "Six months ago, nothing was going right and today I'm very happy. Palmeiras helped me in an extraordinary way. I've regained my form and thankfully things are going right for me."
Roque added: "Even though I'm still very young, I already have some experience. I've been playing professionally for a while, and I try to share what I've learned, both here in Brazil and abroad. I try to help others, just as I seek help from the older players. The key is to keep trying to improve and staying humble."
Brazil will meet Senegal at London's Emirates Stadium on November 15 and Tunisia at Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Lille three days later.
The fixtures will give manager Carlo Ancelotti one of his last chances to experiment before finalizing his squad for next year's FIFA World Cup, to be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. ■
