Valentín Barco #8

Profile

Barco's story is one of overcoming adversity and of reinvention. Part of the Argentinian national team's generational shift, he was born in the town of Veinticinco de Mayo and, as a child, travelled 450km at least four times a week in his father’s Renault to train at Boca Juniors, which didn’t have room for him in its academy residence. That dedication eventually paid off: he made his first-team debut at 16 and excelled at Boca as a left-back, earning a move to Brighton and he now shines at Strasbourg as a midfielder. “Having him in the squad there is the option to play him at left-back, though right now he’s doing very well as a midfielder,” Scaloni said earlier this year. “He can play across the midfield and is a very good asset. Now he can carry a team on his shoulders. The team practically plays however he wants.”

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