Valentín "Colo" Barco (born 23 July 2004) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Argentina national team.
 Barco with Argentina in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valentín Barco[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 23 July 2004[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Veinticinco de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Chelsea | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2013 | Sportivo Las Parejas | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Norberto de la Riestra[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2021 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Boca Juniors | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Sevilla (loan) | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | → Strasbourg (loan) | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–2026 | Strasbourg | 27 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Chelsea | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Argentina U15 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Argentina U20 | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Argentina U23 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Argentina | 5 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:03, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 June 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
editBoca Juniors
editIn 2021, Barco signed his professional contract.[4] On 16 July 2021, he made his professional debut at 16 years old in a 1–1 draw against Unión.[5][6][better source needed] He was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation" list for 2021.[7]
On 29 June 2023, Barco scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 victory against Monagas in the Copa Libertadores.[8][better source needed] Less than one month later on 24 July, he scored his first league goal in a 2–1 victory against Newell's Old Boys after converting a cross from Pol Fernández.[9][better source needed] He continued to fulfil his promise for Boca, when on 10 August 2023, during their game against Nacional Montevideo in the Copa Libertadores 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.[citation needed]
In the semi-finals, Boca faced Brazilian club Palmeiras. The first leg finished goalless at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. During the return leg in Brazil, Barco stood on the ball with both feet whilst in possession, a move that at his young age in a Copa Libertadores semi-final, stunned the Palmeiras players, fans and South American critics alike. It was a move that garnered many headlines, despite a counter-attacking goal by Edinson Cavani and a red card being shown to Marcos Rojo. The draw, 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.[citation needed]
At the age of 19, Barco played as a starter for Boca in the 2023 Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense.[citation needed] He played 78 minutes before being replaced by fellow youth product Luca Langoni.[citation needed] Boca lost the final 2–1 after extra time, courtesy of goals by German Cano and John Kennedy.[citation needed]
Brighton & Hove Albion
editOn 20 January 2024, Barco transferred to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion 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.[10][11]
Loan to Sevilla
editStrasbourg
editOn 2 February 2025, Barco moved on another loan, this time to Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.[13] On 2 July 2025, he moved to Strasbourg permanently for a fee of £7.87 million.[14]
Chelsea
editInternational career
edit_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg)
Barco debuted for the Argentine senior squad on 23 March 2024 in a friendly match against El Salvador.[17] He scored his first international goal in the stoppage time of a 5–0 victory over Zambia on 1 April 2026.[18]
Barco was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[19] During the tournament, he played against Jordan in a group stage match which Argentina won 3–1. In the Semi-final against England, which resulted in 2–1 win for Argentina, he was an unused substitute. During the match, Barco celebrated the winning goal by running from the substitutes bench, away from his teammates and towards the England players.[20] After the match ended, he was slapped on the back of his head by England's Jude Bellingham, after supposedly insulting him behind his back.[21]
Style of play
editBarco has been described as one of Argentina's most intriguing youth prospects. He has played 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,[22][23][24] and more recently as a central midfielder.[25][26][27]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 17 May 2026[28]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2021 | Argentine Primera División | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 2 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2023–24 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Sevilla (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Strasbourg (loan) | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Strasbourg | 2025–26 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 12[c] | 1 | — | 43 | 3 | |||
| Total | 41 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | — | 58 | 3 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2026–27 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 77 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 5 | ||
- ↑ Includes Copa Argentina, FA Cup, Copa del Rey, Coupe de France
- ↑ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
edit- As of match played 27 June 2026[29]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 5 | 2 | |
- Argentina score listed first, score column indicates score after each Barco goal.[29]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 March 2026 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 2 |  Zambia | 5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 9 June 2026 | Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, United States | 4 |  Iceland | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Honours
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 "FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™ SQUAD LIST: Argentina (ARG)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 May 2023. p. 1. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ↑ Valentín Barco at WorldFootball.net
- ↑ Parrottino, Roberto (20 May 2023). "El Colo Barco no sonríe". Cenital (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑ Boero, Germán (17 August 2021). "Valentin Barco: Boca Juniors wonderkid who could be Manchester City-bound". Goal. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ↑ "Valentín Barco set to join Brighton from Boca Juniors". OneFootball. 11 January 2024.
- ↑ "Unión (Santa Fe) 1–1 Boca Juniors | Final Score". ESPN. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ↑ "Next Generation 2021: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 7 October 2021.
- ↑ "Boca Juniors 4–0 Monagas SC | Final Score". ESPN. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ↑ "Boca Juniors 2–1 Newell's Old Boys". ESPN. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ↑ "Valentin Barco joins Albion from Boca Juniors". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 20 January 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ↑ O'Sullivan, Joseph (16 January 2024). "Brighton Sign Valentín Barco From Boca Juniors For $10 Million Fee". Forbes. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ↑ "Valentín Barco, nuevo refuerzo para la parcela defensiva del Sevilla FC" (in Spanish). Sevilla FC. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ↑ "Strasbourg annonce l'arrivée d'un international argentin". Onze Mondial (in French). 2 February 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ↑ "Barco seals permanent Strasbourg switch". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ↑ "Valentin Barco signs for Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ "Chelsea sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco". BBC Sport. 2 August 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
- ↑ Castillo, Nico (23 March 2024). "Valentín Barco, el integrante número 45 de los debutantes en el ciclo del "Leónidas"". Vavel (in Spanish).
- ↑ "Messi on target as Argentina put five past Zambia in World Cup send-off". Buenos Aires Times. 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Messi headlines star-studded Argentina squad". 27 May 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/videos/cjwx374670po
- ↑ "World Cup 2026: England star Jude Bellingham slaps Argentina substitute Barco". BBC Sport. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- ↑ Kulig, Jacek (31 May 2021). "Valentín Barco". Football Talent Scout. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ↑ Martin, Richard (24 November 2023). "Valentin Barco: Why Man City and Liverpool are targeting the teenage Boca Juniors left-back who moonlights as an attacking playmaker". Goal. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ↑ "Barco: I try to be an all-round full-back". FIFA. 12 January 2024.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c0l29xw6zn5o
- ↑ https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/320760/valentin-barco
- ↑ https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/media-article/The-lowdown-on-Valentin-Barco
- ↑ Valentín Barco at Soccerway
- 1 2 Valentín Barco at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ Smyth, Rob (19 July 2026). "Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the 2026 World Cup – live". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
External links
edit