LUCA BARRINGTON lifted a trophy as a winning Albion captain in May 2024 before beginning to make his mark in senior football.

Brighton’s £500,000 signing from Manchester City skippered the Seagulls to a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens and was voted player of the tournament too.

Just a few months later, having temporarily swapped Albion’s blue and white stripes with Grimsby Town’s black and white, Barrington started earning plaudits for his contribution to the League Two outfit.

In October he scored twice to give the Mariners their fourth win in five games with a 2-1 win at Salford.

Barrington, who was just 17 when Albion bought him from City in 2022, can play on either wing or in a central attacking midfield role. And at the beginning of his season-long loan with the Mariners, that versatility was being appreciated.

His new temporary boss, head coach David Artell, said of the Brighton youngster: “Luca is going to have a good career. Is he still finding his feet in men’s football? Of course he is, but he has got the ability.”

Barrington was twice a non-playing substitute for Albion’s first team during December 2023 after impressing playing for the under 21 side. Now on the loan path that has served other Albion youngsters well, Town were delighted to capture his signature for the 2024-25 season.

“He’s an excellent, technical player who’s going to provide us with something a bit different,” purred Artell.

“He’s a versatile forward who can play off both flanks and likes to get in behind the opposition. We wanted to strength ourselves in that area of the pitch and, technically, he is very good.”

The coach told Grimsby football writer Sam Allen: “He’s a young boy, but he has got an unbelievable amount of belief.

“You don’t get bought for half a million pounds at 17 if you haven’t got something about you.”

The youngster has also caught the eye of Football League World writer Chris Kelly, who noted his growing involvement after going on as a substitute in Grimsby’s opening day defeat at Fleetwood Town.

An injury to winger Charles Vernam opened the door for Barrington to get more game time and he seized the opportunity after going on for the injured player in a 1-0 win over Bromley.

Given a start in the next match, when he also scored in a 3-2 win over Carlisle, Kelly observed:

“The youngster’s composure on the ball helped his side gain second-half control.”

In an early October 2024 article, Kelly wrote: “Barrington is proving his quality and versatility, while having the potential to improve further.

“While Barrington is at the beginning of his professional career, and has a great deal to learn and develop within his game, both with and without the ball, there are signs that his natural talent could see him play at a high level.

“Good with both feet and comfortable carrying the ball and beating his opponent, the youngster is tough to deal with for opponents who find him difficult to anticipate and predict.”

The writer added: “Able to operate in multiple roles, Barrington is equally capable of using his pace to get to the byline and deliver crosses into the box, or cut inside and link-up with the strikers around the edge of the penalty area.

“Also showing signs of defensive awareness and real footballing intelligence, parent club Brighton will be delighted by the quick progress their young attacker is making in his time with Grimsby.”

In a quite different environment, Barrington captained an Albion side in Hong Kong in May 2024 for what was the 25^th running of the Hong Kong Sevens tournament.

In the final, a goal in each half from Louis Flower and Benicio Baker-Boaitey earned Albion the win and, in doing so, stopped Aston Villa from winning a record-extending eighth title in the competition.

Barrington had scored a golden goal to edge Albion past Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos in the group phase before the Seagulls saw off Leicester City in the quarter-finals and Fulham in the semis. By way of a footnote, in the Masters Tournament former Albion loanee Leroy Lita scored both goals when the PFA All Stars beat the Singapore FC Masters 2-1.

Born in Manchester on 12 December 2004, Barrington was snapped up by City when he was just six years old.

By 2021, he was named by The Guardian as one of the top 20 first year scholars of Premier League clubs, and writer Jamie Jackson said: “Barrington loves to drift in from either flank to score, as he did for a close range finish in the under-18s’ season-opening 3-0 win over Manchester United, his debut for Ben Wilkinson’s side.” Jackson observed the youngster to be “two-footed, rangy and with a penchant for dribbling”.

As a matter of interest, that same 2021 selection featured Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood and also Kamari Doyle, who Albion signed from Southampton in January 2024 and who is now on loan at Exeter City.

Having scored ten goals in 22 appearances for City to help them win the Under-18 Premier League in 2022, Barrington was offered a professional contract but then chose to switch to Brighton.

At the time Albion secured his signature, then under 21s coach Andrew Crofts declared: “Luca had an outstanding campaign at under-18 level with City last season and we’re delighted to welcome him to Brighton. He’s got a lot of ability, a great attitude and we’re really excited to start working with him.”