Valentín Carboni: Argentina call up fulfilled life long dream for Inter Milan wonderkid

Valentín Carboni: Argentina call up fulfilled life long dream for Inter Milan wunderkind

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Valentín Carboni is from a family that has football in their blood. But Valentín was the first to be nominated as a 17-year-old to Argentina’s national team. While his father was a hard-working defensive midfielder at, among others Red Bull Salzburg and Catania, his son Valentín is a more creative midfielder currently playing for Inter Milan.

Born in Buenos Aires, Carboni left his home in 2019 because of his father, Ezequiel. The 43-year-old father left Argentina to coach his former club Catania in Italy, where he played between 2008 and 2011 after a successful spell in Salzburg. The family joined him, and Valentín, together with his older brother Franco left Club Atlético Lanus to join the academy of the Rossazzurri.

After one season, Inter signed both Carbonis for their academy and also added Christian, the youngest of the Carboni brothers. Valentín earned Catania a transfer fee of €300,000, and his brother Franco was slightly more expensive at €400,000. A good investment as just two years later, the Italian press has determined that Valentín Carboni is a wunderkind.

The attacking player soon started climbing the internal ladder at the Nerazzurri. At 16, he not only managed his debut in the Primavera 1 (the U19 league), but also, together with his brother, who is a left-back also, won the title. Voted the newcomer of the year, Carboni played 20 games and was directly involved in five goals.

Carboni’s performances were also noticed back in Argentina. National team coach Lionel Scaloni nominated the two brothers in March after having previously played for Italy’s junior teams. The Argentina squad included a handful of young players with the goal of getting to know the Albiceleste. “I am very happy,” his father, Ezequiel, said to Radio La Red when asked about his son’s opportunity. “The Argentine football association is doing an excellent job scouting in Europe. The truth is that both are very proud to be a part of the Argentine national team. They always preferred Argentina because they were born there.”

Former star Javier Mascherano represents the Argentine FA and worked hard to convince the two brothers to play for his country. “They have asked them to continue on their path, and that they would get a chance, that gave them hope,” Ezequiel said. “They just need to make the most out of this opportunity and enjoy the moment; not everyone gets this chance….” Even though the brothers did not play for Argentina, they were able to collect some valuable experience during their time with the squad.

And while his older brother was loaned out to Serie B side Cagliari Calcio last summer, Carboni managed to make the jump to Inter’s first team last summer. Carboni was regularly part of the matchday squad and finally made his league debut on matchday 8 against Roma (1-2), where he was brought on in the 88th minute. Then at the start of November, he became the third youngest Champions League player in Inter Milan’s history in the 0-2 defeat to Bayern Munich. “I was delighted to have played today, even though it was very tricky as they are a very tough opponent,” Carboni said after the game.

While his father, Ezequiel, was a rugged defensive midfielder nicknamed Kampfschwein (warthog)—he was voted player of the year by Red Bull fans in 2005/06—his son is a far more technically gifted player. Technical abilities have impressed Inter fans and their head coach Simone Inzaghi.

“Carboni is a playmaker, who predominantly plays on the right flank,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Scott Christensen said. “He is skillful, elegant, has an excellent technique, can read the space well, and is also good in the air. He is also very creative and has what we call in Argentina the ‘Olfato de gol’, a nose for scoring goals. But he is also able to set up his teammates.” What Carboni is still lacking, according to Christensen, is physicality.

Because Carboni, just like Lionel Messi, is left-footed, comparisons are already unavoidable. Carboni met the world star as an 11-year-old and then posted a picture of the two of them together on social media. “By meeting the best of the world, my idol, I have fulfilled a personal dream,” Carboni wrote on Instagram. Six years later, the two of them crossed paths again but this time on the training field while wearing the shirt of the Albiceleste—perhaps an even bigger dream that has come true for Carboni.

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2004. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.