1. Player Career
Pablo Barrientos's football journey began in his youth, leading to a professional career that saw him play for numerous clubs and represent his country internationally.
1.1. Youth Career
Barrientos began his youth career at Huracán from 2001 to 2002. In 2003, he joined San Lorenzo, where he was officially promoted from the youth team to the club's first team in the same year.
1.2. Club Career
Barrientos's professional club career saw him play for several teams across different continents, marked by periods of significant performance, injuries, and multiple returns to his home country.
1.2.1. San Lorenzo (initial)
Barrientos made his professional debut in 2003 with San Lorenzo in his hometown of Comodoro Rivadavia. He quickly established himself at the Argentine club, making 72 league appearances and scoring 7 league goals. His strong performances earned him call-ups to the Argentine U20 and U21 football teams. By the age of 21, he had accumulated 72 league appearances and 7 league goals for San Lorenzo, in addition to 15 caps and 6 goals for his country's youth teams. His impressive form generated considerable transfer rumors, linking him to various European clubs.
1.2.2. FC Moscow
In July 2006, Barrientos transferred to FC Moscow in Russia. During his two seasons in the Russian Premier League, he struggled to secure a guaranteed starting spot. He made 33 league appearances and scored 6 goals for the club.
1.2.3. San Lorenzo (loan)
For the 2008-09 season, Barrientos was sent back on loan to San Lorenzo. During this loan spell, he made 21 league appearances and scored 8 goals. He also contributed 1 goal in 2 appearances in other competitions.
1.2.4. Calcio Catania
Following his return to FC Moscow, Barrientos was again linked with several clubs. In May 2009, it was confirmed that he signed a four-year contract with Calcio Catania of Serie A, valid until June 2013. His initial period at the Sicilian club was severely hampered by injury, including a right knee cruciate ligament rupture suffered on February 26, 2009, which led to a prolonged absence. He finally made his debut for Catania on May 9, 2010, coming on as a substitute against Bologna.
After making only two substitute appearances in the entire 2009-10 Serie A season and playing no matches in the first half of the 2010-11 Serie A season, he was loaned to Estudiantes in Argentina for six months. Upon his return to Catania in July 2011, Barrientos became a crucial component of the team under new head coach Vincenzo Montella. During the 2012-13 Serie A campaign, he was a key player in Rolando Maran's first team, scoring 5 goals in 31 league appearances. He was part of an all-Argentine attack force alongside Gonzalo Bergessio, Alejandro Gómez, and Lucas Castro, which saw i rossazzurri (Catania's nickname) push for European qualification spots.
Barrientos was part of a record-breaking Catania squad that accumulated 56 points from 38 2012-13 Serie A matches. This performance also saw the club break its record for home victories in a single season, its record for overall victories in a single top-flight campaign, and its record points total in Serie A for the fifth consecutive season.
1.2.5. Estudiantes (loan)
During his six-month loan spell at Estudiantes, Barrientos made 13 league appearances without scoring. He also played 6 matches in other competitions, where he scored 2 goals.
1.2.6. San Lorenzo (return)
In July 2014, Barrientos returned to San Lorenzo for his third stint with the club, where he had made his professional debut.
1.2.7. Deportivo Toluca
On July 29, 2016, Barrientos signed for Deportivo Toluca in Mexico.
1.2.8. Club Nacional de Football
Following his time in Mexico, Barrientos played for Nacional in Uruguay.
1.2.9. Later career and retirement
In February 2020, after concluding his spell with Nacional, Barrientos announced his retirement from professional football. However, in October 2020, he made a return to his former youth club, Jorge Newbery de Comodoro Rivadavia, located in his hometown of Comodoro Rivadavia, to play at an amateur level. In January 2021, he suffered a third-degree sprain, which led him to announce his definitive retirement from playing football. A week later, his brother, Leo Barrientos, who also served as the vice president of Jorge Newbery, confirmed that Pablo would transition into a role within the club's management.
1.3. International Career
Barrientos represented Argentina at various levels. He earned 15 caps for the Argentina U-20 squad in 2004, scoring 6 goals. On November 15, 2008, he received his first call-up to the senior Argentina squad by coach Alfio Basile for a match against Chile. He was also called up by Diego Maradona between 2009 and 2011, making 1 appearance for the senior national team.
2. Personal Life
Pablo Barrientos's brother, Hugo Barrientos, is also a professional footballer who has played in Argentina. Pablo Barrientos stands at 69 in (176 cm) tall.
3. Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Moscow | 2006 | Russian Premier League | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2007 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 4 | ||||
| 2008 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 42 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 6 | ||
| San Lorenzo (loan) | 2008-09 | Argentine Primera División | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 1 | 23 | 9 | |
| Catania | 2009-10 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2011-12 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 4 | ||||
| 2012-13 | 31 | 5 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 5 | ||||
| 2013-14 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 86 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 14 | ||
| Estudiantes (loan) | 2010-11 | Argentine Primera División | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 2 | 19 | 2 | |
| San Lorenzo | 2014 | Argentine Primera División | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 1 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2016 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 2 | 19 | 3 | |||
| Total | 47 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 65 | 6 | ||
| Toluca | 2016-17 | Liga MX | 35 | 8 | 6 | 0 | - | - | 41 | 8 | ||
| 2017-18 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 61 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 270 | 41 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 6 | 316 | 48 | ||
4. Honours
Barrientos achieved several significant titles during his club career.
; San Lorenzo
- Copa Libertadores: 2014
- Supercopa Argentina: 2015
; Nacional
- Torneo Clausura: 2019
- Uruguayan Primera División: 2019