“He even went to training with a fever and vomiting”: Patricia had no money for anything other than gas and tolls.
So she would prepare mate, put her son in his father’s Renault 12, and they would set off: 450 kilometers round trip between 25 de Mayo and Buenos Aires, Argentina, just so Valentín would not lose his place at Boca’s academy.
They made that journey for three years. There were days with fever, without desire, without strength, and Valentín still trained, even vomiting. “Yes, Mom, let’s go!”, he would tell his mother every time she doubted whether there was enough money for the trip.
Valentín Barco played his first match in a World Cup, coming on against Jordan. Behind those minutes are thousands of kilometers, an old car, and a mother who never stopped saying “let’s go”.
