Chelsea defender Valentin Barco has sparked criticism after unveiling a pony with bright pink dyed hair as a gift for his daughter's first birthday.
Pink Pony Gift
The 22-year-old Argentine, who recently joined Chelsea from Strasbourg for around £34 million, shared a video on social media introducing his daughter Gemma to the pony, named Maca. The animal's fringe and tail had been dyed pink, a look that drew comparisons to the 'Pink Pony Club'.
Barco captioned the post: "Welcome, Maca! We love you, sweetheart." The video quickly attracted a wave of negative comments, with one user writing: "Please, dye your own hair pink; say no to animal abuse, ridiculous." Another asked: "Do you think it's right to dye an animal?" A third simply said: "How awful."
Wife's Defence
However, some fans praised the gesture, with one calling it "Beautiful" and another saying: "Oh God, I love them, they're so sweet."
Barco's wife, Yazmin Jaureguy, later addressed the backlash on social media. In a video, she explained that the dye was non-toxic, washable, and safe for animals, and that it had been applied to resemble Barco's own hair. She said: "They took the words right out of my mouth. One, it was a gift - obviously, I didn't ask for it to come looking like that. Two, it's non-toxic, washable and safe for animals. Three, Maca chose that shade."
Pony Returns to Natural Colour
Yazmin later shared a photo of the pony with the dye washed out, back to its original colouring, accompanied by a heart emoji to indicate no harm was done.
Barco and his family have recently relocated from France to England following his move to Stamford Bridge. The couple met in late 2023 at a fashion show, where Barco was invited by a friend and Yazmin was working as a model.
