Barcelona miss out on Vitor Roque payment after Palmeiras loss

Barcelona will have watched on with interest as Vitor Roque and Palmeiras suffered FIFA Club World Cup elimination.

The Brazilians secured a spot in the quarter finals after finishing top of Group A with five points ahead of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in second spot.

They sealed an extra time win over old rivals Botafogo in the last 16 but the journey came to an end via a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the next phase.

Palmeiras will receive a huge financial boost from their run in the tournament, but Barcelona will not pick up as much as they hoped for, via Vitor Roque’s eexit at the start of 2025.

Vitor Roque’s Palmeiras contract explained

Barcelona and Vitor Roque agreed to part ways in February following a controversial spell in Catalonia for the 20-year-old.

After arriving amid a wave of optimism over developing into Barcelona’s latest South American star in 2023, he was quickly moved on.

Following a season-long loan at Real Betis in 2024/25, Barcelona indicated he did not have a place in Hansi Flick’s plans, and a frustrated Vitor Roque accepted a move back to Brazil.

The striker has hit out at Barcelona and Real Betis numerous times over how his exit was handled as Palmeiras paid a Brazilian transfer record of €25.5m to bring him in.

However, the small print of the transfer means his new side only purchased 80% of his playing rights, plus another extra €5m in performance-related variables.

The details of those variables include €1m if he wins an international competition at Palmeiras with €2m set aside if he wins the Ballon d’Or in his time at the club.

As per reports from Mundo Deportivo, the third payment – of €2m – has now been missed completely as it related to him finishing among the top three players at the Club World Cup.

No goals in the tournament, and a mixed overall showing, means Barcelona will lose out on a possible cash boost.