Footballers can sign a professional contract from the age of 16 in Argentina — that varies between nations — while the ‘patria potestad’ system is in place until the age of 18. The move is primarily to discourage Argentine players from moving abroad before they sign a professional contract with a local club. Argentina’s clubs have lost highly-rated youth-team players to European clubs before they signed a professional contract. The most high-profile case is that of Lionel Messi, who joined Barcelona’s youth system from Newell’s Old Boys aged 13. Advertisement“I care about him (Scarlato) and I wish him the best, but he had the best situation at River,” River’s director of youth football Gabriel Rodriguez told DSports in December.

Source: International New York Times February 06, 2026 16:09 UTC