The Argentina national team’s final friendly against Zambia ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was special not only because it ended in a 5-0 rout or because it was Lionel Messi and company’s last match on home soil, but also because a player returned to the stadium where he grew up.
The match was played at La Bombonera Stadium, a venue Valentín Barco had not returned to since leaving Boca Juniors for Brighton in January 2024. Now, he returned and scored while wearing the colors of the Albiceleste, and after the match he shared his experience.
Barco explains how to complement Messi on the pitch
The current Racing Strasbourg player came on in the second half of the match against Zambia and had an unforgettable night. Not only did he score his first goal with the Argentina national team and at La Bombonera Stadium (where he played 17 matches and scored two goals with Boca), but he also experienced what it means to play alongside Lionel Messi and the impact the captain has:
“Messi is the best player in history. Every ball he touches improves the attack. If he’s next to you, you have to pass him the ball,” said “El Colo” Barco, highlighting the simplicity and effectiveness of passing the ball to the star when he’s nearby.
In fact, the #10 was the one who started the play that led to Valentín’s goal, near the end of the match, in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
“El Colo” made his debut with the Argentine national team against El Salvador on March 22, 2024, but his goal didn’t come until yesterday, when, at halftime, he received instructions from Lionel Scaloni to enter the game in the second half and play alongside the legendary captain.
He was later asked about his chances of making Argentina’s final roster for the 2026 World Cup, but Valentín remained noncommittal and humbly stated:
“I live day by day, as I always have. I try to do my best at the club so I can come here. They are world champions here; they are all elite. It is the best national team in the world and has the toughest roster in the world, logically,” he added.
With a new generation quickly adapting to the leadership of great stars like Lionel, Argentina continues to build a solid project in which experience and youth coexist with a common goal: to keep competing at the highest level.
Now, looking ahead to a new edition to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, Argentina will arrive as the defending champion and must defend its title. In Group J, it will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium. Then, at Dallas Stadium, it will play against Austria on Monday, June 22, and against Jordan on Saturday, June 27.
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