A closer look at Valentin Barco's career in Argentina

Albion’s major signing during the recent transfer window was 19-year-old Valentin Barco, who has penned a four-and-a-half-year deal from Argentine giants Boca Juniors, and paid his first visit to the American Express Elite Performance Centre on Thursday.

While an unknown quantity to many Albion fans, the versatile left-sided player has certainly been making waves back in his homeland and last week helped Argentina under-23s qualify for this summer's Olympic Games in Paris. 

Barco made 35 appearances for Boca prior to his departure – making his debut at the age of 16 against Union in 2021 – and was last year promoted to Argentina’s under-23 squad as a result of his impressive form.

Edwards, who lives a stone’s throw from the Boca heartlands, believes Albion have signed a player who can follow Alexis Mac Allister, from La Bombonera to being a big hit in Brighton. Yet it’s further along the south coast where he prefers to draw a closer comparison.

“Without wanting to get too carried away, there are similarities with a very young Gareth Bale, when he first broke onto the scene at Southampton,” Dan told the matchday programme. “He’s a young left-back/left-winger who is very quick, very good on the ball, and possesses a tremendous left foot. His crossing and striking of the ball are fantastic and you can see that same raw talent [as Bale had], definitely.

“Mac Allister, as we saw early on at Argentinos Juniors and during his time [on loan] at Boca, is a more cerebral talent, whereas Barco is all natural raw ability. He hasn’t been playing for a particularly long time, but I’ve been watching him closely and he’s done really well – he’s a very exciting young talent.”

Bale, of course, blossomed to become a phenomenal attacking force at Tottenham, Real Madrid and with Wales. It’s in a more forward position where Dan feels Valentin will also find his natural disposition.

“His future is definitely further up the pitch. Defensively he’s solid enough, but he’s someone who’s always looking up, who loves to get forward, and as he gets older and is more confident on the ball, I’m sure he can operate as an out-and-out left winger or even more inverted on the right.

“I would have him as far up the pitch as possible as it’s where he can really do damage. Remember, this is only his first full year of football and he’s already had his moments. He has looked very good at times and is only going to get better.”

To have made 20 Primera Division appearances last season, for the Boca behemoth, as a teenager, is certainly good going, but begs the question: is it down to his undoubted talent or a reflection of the player drain that sees youngsters getting their chance even earlier in Argentina’s top flight?

“A bit of both,” Dan reflected. “You see it at Boca and River [Plate], with players leaving for Europe younger and younger now. At the same time, it’s also a reflection of his undoubted potential.

“He made his debut at 16 and this is something Boca have been working towards. In the past, they’ve had a reputation as a team that splashes out the most money and brings in big veteran names, but in the last couple of years they’ve pivoted a bit and have been much more willing to give the youngsters a go.

“In the Libertadores campaign they had four or five academy graduates in the first team, and under [Juan] Riquelme [ex-Argentina international and now Boca president], if you’re good enough you’ll get your chance no matter what your age. That’s something Barco has certainly taken advantage of, not having overpaid veterans or middling journeymen in his way, so he got the opportunity early and grabbed it with both hands.”

Edwards added, “At the minute he’s on the podium, along with the young River lad Claudio Echeverri [who recently signed for Manchester City] and Alejandro Garnacho [Manchester United] as Argentina’s best young talent, and he’s done plenty to deserve that tag so far.”

Which suggests a feather in Albion’s cap, given the club has rubbed shoulders with City and United in garnering one of the country’s hottest prospects. Yet when we look at the success of the likes of Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and now Julio Enciso and Barco’s compatriot at the Albion, Facundo Buonanotte, maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised.

“It’s not difficult to see why these players and their agents would choose Brighton over other clubs,” Edwards interjected. “They would look at the young players who have moved to the Amex from South America, felt completely at home in their new surroundings, and seen their careers take off.

“The precedent is there and now we’re seeing Facundo getting a lot more game time and Enciso looking fantastic before his injury. If they’ve got the talent, the commitment and the work ethic, they know they can come to Brighton, have a real chance of getting regular first-team football and make a big splash. If you’re a young player weighing up your next move, Brighton have to be in the conversation for sure.”

As a result, Albion have become big news in Argentina – a far cry from the day Albion fan Dan left these shores for his new life in the Americas.

“When I first came out here in 2009, I’d meet people and the conversation would turn to football. They’d ask me who my club was in England, I’d say Brighton, and they’d be like, ‘Who?’ Maybe one person in 20 would know the name.

“Now, you say Brighton and they’ll say, ‘Ah, Alexis Mac Allister.’ Everyone knows. The profile has gone through the roof.

“Brighton has a lot more recognition and, of course, there’s always interest in the [Argentine] players who play for the club. Facundo maybe not so much yet, as he’s still young and didn’t come from Boca or River – they are the teams who garner all the attention – but Barco’s every move is going to be big news in Argentina just because he’s got that Boca background.”

Dan, too, will be keeping tabs, not just for his vocation but also his long-distance love for the Seagulls.

“Luckily, the local cable station shows a lot of Premier League games and if I get the opportunity, I’ll watch the Brighton games. I’m still waiting to get to the Amex for the first time though. It wasn’t built when I left for Argentina, so hopefully on my next trip back I’ll be able to visit.”

• You can listen to Dan on Hand of Pod, the English-language Argentine football podcast.