Brighton and Hove Albion signed Valentín Barco from Boca Juniors on January 20, 2024, by triggering his release clause, which was reported to be around the £8 million mark.
Supporters got their first glimpse of the 19-year-old in a Fifth Round FA Cup defeat to Wolves last season.
He also made a few impressive appearances in the Premier League before the decision was made this summer to send him on loan to Sevilla in La Liga.
Barco has been talked about in recent months as one of the next big Argentine stars, so what can he bring to squad upon his return?
Where will he fit in? And can he fulfil his huge potential?
VAVEL explores all here.
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Club career so far
Barco started his professional career with Boca Juniors in the Liga Profesional, where he made his debut on June 16, 2021, at the age of 16.
He played a total of 206 minutes across the opening three games of the 2021 season.
After those three games, he did not make another appearance that season.
In the following 2022 season, he appeared on the bench once, but did not make a single appearance throughout the entire season.
After what must have felt like an eternity for the youngster, he finally got his opportunity in the 2023 season.
He certainly took this opportunity.
He played 2,326 minutes across 32 games in four competitions for Boca, in which he scored one goal and picked up four assists.
He played nine games in the Copa de la Liga, three games in the Copa Argentina, nine games in the Copa Libertadores, and 11 games in the Liga Profesional.
His goal came in a 4-0 Copa Libertadores Group Stage win against Venezuelan side Monagas SC.
From having no appearances in the season prior, he suddenly became a crucial player at La Bombonera, which translates to 'The Chocolate Box' in English.
During his time with Boca, the fans gave him the nickname 'Colo', which means ginger in English.
Barco played his final Boca game at the end of 2023 before joining the Premier League side towards the end of the January transfer window.
The move had been a long time coming for the Seagulls due to them attempting to sign Barco during the previous summer.
However, the player himself wanted to see out the rest of the Libertadores before heading to England, meaning the deal could not happen until January.
Upon signing for the Albion, he was called up to the national team for the pre-Olympic tournament which took place during Premier League fixtures.
This meant he did not make his Brighton debut until over a month later, where he played 10 minutes at left back in a disappointing FA Cup exit to Wolves.
Barco made his Premier League debut on February 31, 2024, when his side travelled to Anfield.
In total, he made seven appearances for his new club last season, playing 318 minutes of football.
The defender was part of this season's pre-season tour of Japan, and many expected him to be part of the squad this season after seeing him on the bench for the opening game of the season against Everton.
However, the club believed he would play more minutes and develop further if he was sent on loan.
So, on August 23, 2024, he made the move to Spain to join Sevilla on a season-long loan.
So far this season, the Argentine has played 367 minutes across seven games and has only started three of those seven.
He has also been an unused substitute on four occasions.
It has not been the best start to what looked to be an extremely promising loan, but there is still plenty of time for 'Colo' to pick up some more game time and develop his all-round game.
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International career so far
Barco has played at four different age level for Argentina, wearing the number three and the number 26 shirts.
He received his first call-up in 2019, where he was called-up up to Argentina U15.
He made his U15 debut on November 26, 2019, at the age of 15 years, four months, and three days.
He played six games for this age group and scored three goals.
Two and a half years later he was called-up to the Argentina U20 side.
He was handed his U20 debut by former Liverpool and Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano.
He made his U20 debut on May 10, 2022, at the age of 17 years, nine months, and 17 days.
He played a total of eight games for the U20s.
Another year and a half later, he received another call from Mascherano, but this time it was for the Argentina U23s.
He made his U23 debut on December 15, 2023, at the age of 19 years, four months, and 22 days.
During his seven games he scored one goal, which came in a 2-0 victory over Ecuador U23.
Just three months after making his U23 debut, he was called up to the Argentina senior team by Argentine legend Lionel Scaloni.
Barco made his senior debut on March 23, 2024, against El Salvador.
He was also named as an unused substitute for friendlies against Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala.
While he has only played 34 senior minutes, the 19-year-old would still have gained some valuable knowledge and experience from training and playing alongside world-class players such as Lionel Messi and Ángel Di María.
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What will Barco bring to Brighton?
Barco is the type of player that will always show up well in Tony Bloom's data, and he is the type of player that fits the bill perfectly at Brighton.
He is young, South American, and able to play in multiple positions.
The data - though minimal in Barco's case - is rarely incorrect, so it is no surprise he was wanted by the club.
In terms of style and profile, he is similar to the likes of Real Madrid hero Marcelo and Real Sociedad's Sergio Gómez.
If you want to look closer to home, he is also very similar to Newcastle left back and recent England debutant Lewis Hall.
He was also adored by Boca fans, so that should also tell you a lot about his character.
In terms of his best attributes, he is very much considered to be a modern-day full-back.
When looking at him on the ball, he is very good at dribbling, has very good ball control, and a lot of technical ability and flair.
However, his absolute best attributes are when he is releasing the ball.
He has top level vision to pick out the right pass in any situation and he is also able to deliver pin-point crosses and set piece deliveries.
This is something that certainly excited Albion fans when watching Barco last season.
The number 19 is only 5'8" and weighs only 68 kilograms which creates two areas of weakness; aerial duels and strength.
In the traditional game this may have been a cause for concern, but when playing as a full-back in the modern game and in Fabian Hürzeler's system, it should not negatively impact his game and how he is expected to play.
He also has a lot of heart, desire, and passion when he is playing and is not afraid to ruffle some of the opposition's feathers.
His personality is a big part of what made him a Boca fan favourite, so it would be no surprise if he becomes a Brighton cult hero in the near future.
If you need further convincing, then all you need to do is look at the last ginger Argentine that played for Brighton - Alexis MacAllister.
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Where will he fit into the squad?
Many of the positions within the Brighton squad are already loaded with talent, but there is one to two that may be lacking a bit of depth and one of these is where Barco is strongest.
Baring this in mind, Barco may be presented with a huge opportunity to be part pf the squad next season.
In his career so far, he has played in four different positions, with three of them all being on the same side.
He has made two appearances as a central midfielder in which he picked up one assist.
While the data is small, it is still statistically impressive, but with Matt O'Riley's dramatic return against Manchester City and the promise of Yasin Ayari, it seems near improbable that Barco will play centrally.
The next three positions are all down the left side of the pitch.
The youngster has made eight appearances as a left winger, scoring one and assisting one.
His attributes definitely suit a left wing position, but with Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra being better suited and more experienced than Barco, it once again seems somewhat unlikely we will see him played here. Though it is not impossible if there are departures from the squad.
He has also played 15 games as a left midfielder and picked up one assist.
With Hürzeler playing a distorted 4-2-3-1 kind of system with wingers instead of wide midfielders, there will be no chance for Barco to be utilised in this position unless there is a change of system and/or formation.
The Argentine's best position is actually as a left-back rather than an attacker or midfielder.
He has played 21 games here and picked up one assist.
Interestingly, the only player in the squad whose main position is a left-back is Pervis Estupiñán, so there is already a space open for Barco as the second choice left back when he returns. That is if there are not any new arrivals.
It seems most likely this is where we will see Barco used. He will probably used in a similar way to Brighton's number 30 too, as an attacking full-back/wing-back.
As with most Brighton youngsters, there is always the chance of another loan next season.
But if Barco can find his feet in Spain and show more of his limitless potential, then he will have the opportunity to break into the squad and the starting XI next season when he returns.
Remember the name; 'Colo'.
