Valentín Barco (born 23 July 2004) is an Argentine professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

wide midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for club

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

, and the Argentina national team. He was included in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

's "Next Generation" list for 2021.

Club career

Boca Juniors

In 2021, Barco was scouted by Argentine club

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

and immediately signed his professional contract. On 16 July 2021, he made his professional debut at 16 years old in a 1–1 draw against Unión. On 29 June 2023, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 win over

Monagas Monagas State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443. Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the ...

in the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

. Less than one month later on 24 July, he scored his first league goal in a 2–1 victory against

Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...

after converting a

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

from Pol Fernández. He continued to fulfil his promise for Boca, when on 10 August 2023, during their game against Nacional Montevideo in the

round of 16, produced a dominant display for the blue and gold, displaying creativity key to both Boca goals. Boca were pegged back twice during the 90 minutes of regulation play and with the game at 2–2 on the night and on aggregate, it went to penalties. Barco stepped up fifth of five for Boca, and scored the decisive penalty to take them to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Boca met Brazilian side

Palmeiras The Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional association football, football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes (district of São Paulo), Perdizes. Palmeiras is ...

. The first leg finished 0–0 at

La Bombonera La Bombonera (; , named after its resemblance to a chocolate box, per Viktor Sulčič), officially known as Alberto José Armando Stadium (, ; named after Alberto Armando), is an association football stadium located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. During the return leg in Brazil, Barco famously stood on the ball with both feet whilst in possession, a move that at his young age in a

semi-final, stunned the Palmeiras players, fans and South American critics alike. It was a move that garnered many headlines, despite a counterattacking goal by

Edinson Cavani Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors. Nicknamed "El Matador" (The Bullfighter), he is considered as one of the ...

and a red card being shown to

Marcos Rojo Faustino Marcos Alberto Rojo (born 20 March 1990) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Boca Juniors, where he is Captain (association football), captain. Rojo ...

. The tie, once again for Boca, with a 1–1 aggregate score, went to a penalty shootout. They won the shootout 4–2, courtesy of a heroic display by goalkeeper

Sergio Romero Sergio Germán "Chiquito" Romero (; born 22 February 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Boca Juniors. Romero made his debut with Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División in 2007 and then transfer ...

. At the age of 19, Barco had cemented his place in the starting 11 for Boca and started in the 2023 Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense. He played 78 minutes before being substituted for fellow youth product Luca Langoni. Boca lost the final 2–1 after extra time, courtesy of goals by German Cano and

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 20 January 2024, Barco transferred to

English Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around $10 million (€9.1 million), signing a four-and-a-half-year contract until 30 June 2028.

Loan to Sevilla

On 23 August 2024, Barco was loaned to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

club

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

for the 2024–25 season with no buy option.

Loan to Strasbourg

On 2 February 2025, Barco was loaned to

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

International career

On 23 March 2024, Barco debuted for the Argentine senior squad on 23 March 2024 in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Style of play

Barco has been described as one of Argentina's most intriguing youth prospects. He normally plays as a marauding full-back who can make forward runs and create chances for his teammates. He has also been noted for his versatility, having played as a winger.

Career statistics

Club

International

References

External links

Valentín Barco
at Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barco, Valentín 2004 births Living people Footballers from Buenos Aires Argentine men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football midfielders Boca Juniors footballers Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Sevilla FC players RC Strasbourg Alsace players Argentine Primera División players Premier League players La Liga players Ligue 1 players Argentina men's youth international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Argentina men's international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in France 21st-century Argentine sportsmen