Full name José Vítor Roque Jr. Years Team Height 1.88 m | Playing position Team Apps Weight 74 kg | |
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Date of birth (1976-08-31) 31 August 1976 (age 40) Similar | ||
José Vítor Roque Jr. ([ˈhɔki ˈʒunjor]; born 31 August 1976 in Santa Rita do Sapucaí) more commonly known as Roque Júnior, is a former association footballer who played as a defender. He last played for Ituano Futebol Clube. He has won 48 caps for Brazil and was part of the winning squad at the 2002 World Cup.
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Club career
During his career, Roque Júnior has played for Santarritense, São José, Palmeiras, A.C. Milan, Leeds United F.C., A.C. Siena, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, MSV Duisburg and Qatari side Al-Rayyan. He is an iconic footballer for Palmeiras, as he played more than 200 competitive games for them. His greatest success in club football came with playing for Palmeiras, with whom he won the 1999 Copa Libertadores.
There was excitement at Elland Road when Peter Reid brought Roque to Leeds on loan, but it was short lived as the team conceded 24 times in his seven appearances and Roque was sent off on his home debut against Birmingham City. However, he did score two goals in a Worthington Cup game against Manchester United (Leeds lost 3–2) but his spell at Leeds was not considered a success.
In September 2008, Palmeiras have signed him from Al-Rayyan on loan until the end of the season.
After leaving Palmeiras in November 2008, he was offered to Australian A-League clubs in April and was in talks with Avaí gaffer Paulo Silas in July, but nothing materialised out of it. In February 2010, Ituano FC signed the former Brazil international, who last played in 2008 for Palmeiras.
International career
Roque Júnior was successful on the international stage for Brazil, having played 50 games (two of them unofficial) and scored two goals, and also captaining them on a number of occasions. He did not make it into the Brazilian squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup due to injury and retired from international football on 4 September 2007.
Personal life
Roque Júnior is devoted to helping São José Esporte Clube's youth players with a project called "Projeto Primeira Camisa" ("Project First Jersey").
Roque "Rogue" Junior was the most popular host of Total Request Live on Brazil MTV (BMTV) during his 10 year stint (2005-2015).
In 2015, he took his first managerial role at XV de Piracicaba