Collecchio, 25 February, 2026 - Some goals break the deadlock, others win you the game.
The last two Argentine strikes in the league for Parma Calcio 1913 belong firmly in the second category. At San Siro against AC Milan, Mariano Troilo scored his first Serie A goal and it proved to be the winner. Two weeks earlier, at the Dall’Ara against Bologna FC 1909, Christian Ordóñez had done even more: a goal in the 95th minute and three hugely valuable points.
Last season, at the Tardini against Torino FC, Mateo Pellegrino introduced himself with a brace, opening his league account just over a month after arriving at the Club.
The 2022/23 season, with Fabio Pecchia on the bench, who would go on to lead the Club to promotion to Serie A the following year, had a particularly “Albiceleste” feel. Cristian Ansaldi got off the mark against Frosinone Calcio with a dangerous cross-shot; Lautaro Valenti scored his first at the Tardini against Reggina 1914 with a tap-in; and Nahuel Estévez chose the stage of Marassi against Genoa CFC, finishing right-footed on the volley from a corner.
A year earlier, away to Pordenone Calcio in a dramatic 6-3 win, Franco Vázquez opened his gialloblu chapter in the league, adding his name to a tradition rooted in the 1990s. Between 1998 and 2000, the bond between Parma and Argentina became one of the defining symbols of an era: Ariel Ortega scored his first goal against Hellas Verona FC; Juan Sebastián Verón got off the mark against SSC Bari; and Abel Balbo left his mark in a season that would bring major success under Alberto Malesani: victory in the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia.
Under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, no list of Argentines would be complete without Hernán Crespo, who scored his first league goal against Inter Milan in 1996/97 - a season that ended with historic qualification for the Champions League for the first time ever. In 1994/95, meanwhile, Néstor Sensini made his mark with a brace, again against Inter, in a campaign that culminated in UEFA Cup glory under Nevio Scala.
From the 95th-minute winner in Bologna to San Siro, from braces and volleys to decisive goals in the 1990s: Argentine first league goals in a Parma shirt have never been mere statistics. They have marked beginnings, turning points, and the first signs of something about to unfold.
From past legends to today’s protagonists, the Argentine signature remains one of the Club’s trademarks. In the video below, we have brought together all of these historic firsts in yellow and blue - from the early steps of Crespo and Sensini to the goals of Ordóñez and Troilo today: a thirty-year journey bound together by emotion.
