Nicolás Paz Martínez (born 8 September 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Como. Born in Spain, he plays for the Argentina national team.

Nico Paz
Personal information
Full name Nicolás Paz Martínez[1]
Date of birth (2004-09-08) 8 September 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain[1]
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Como
Number 79
Youth career
2011–2014 CD San Juan
2014–2016 Tenerife
2016–2022 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2024 Real Madrid B 53 (12)
2023–2024 Real Madrid 4 (1)
2024– Como 15 (2)
International career
2022 Argentina U20 8 (4)
2024– Argentina 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:05, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024

Club career

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Real Madrid

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Early career

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A youth product of CD San Juan and Tenerife, Paz joined the Real Madrid's La Fábrica in 2016.[2]

Initially starting his career as a central defender, Paz moved further up the pitch as he developed. After playing as a centre forward, he switched to the wing, where he played for the under-19 side. He is also comfortable operating as a central midfielder or playmaker.[3][4]

He made his debut for Real Madrid's B-team in a 3–1 win over Andorra in January 2022, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Iván Morante.[3]

2023–24: First-team breakthrough

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On 8 November 2023, Paz made his first-team and Champions League debut for Real Madrid in a group stage match against Braga as a substitute in the 77th minute to replace Federico Valverde at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[5][6] On 11 November 2023, Paz made his La Liga debut for Madrid in a 5–1 victory over Valencia, coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute for Dani Carvajal.[7][8] On 29 November, he scored his first goal in the Champions League, securing a 4–2 win against Napoli.[9]

Como

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On 25 August 2024, Paz signed for newly promoted Serie A club Como on a four-year deal for a reported €6m fee.[10][11] The following day, he made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Cagliari.[12] On 19 October, he scored his first goal for Como in a 1–1 draw against Parma.[13]

International career

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Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Paz was eligible to represent both Spain and Argentina at international level.[1] He was first called up to the senior Argentina national team in March 2022.[3][14]

Paz also was called up to the Argentina under-20 side for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament in France.[15] He was later named in Argentina's preliminary 48-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[16]

On 15 October 2024, Paz made his senior debut for Argentina in a 6–0 win over Bolivia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, recording an assist for Lionel Messi.[17]

Personal life

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Paz is the son of former Argentine international Pablo Paz, who played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.[3][18] His mother is Spanish.[19]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 15 December 2024[20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Real Madrid Castilla 2021–22 Primera División RFEF 6 0 6 0
2022–23 Primera Federación 14 1 4[b] 1 18 2
2023–24 Primera Federación 29 10 29 10
Total 49 11 0 0 0 0 4 1 53 12
Real Madrid 2023–24 La Liga 4 0 1 0 3[c] 1 0 0 8 1
Como 2024–25 Serie A 15 2 0 0 15 2
Career total 68 13 1 0 3 1 4 1 76 15
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Appearances in Primera Federación play-offs
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 15 October 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Argentina 2024 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours

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Real Madrid

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Nico Paz at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "Profile". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Hall, Andy (7 March 2022). "Who is Nico Paz? From Real Madrid's youth academy to the Argentina senior side". en.as.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  4. ^ Valle, Tomás (7 March 2022). "¿Quién es Nico Paz y cuantos millones cuesta la gran promesa del Real Madrid?" [Who is Nico Paz and how many millions does the great promise of Real Madrid cost?]. elfutbolero.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Nico Paz makes his Real Madrid debut". Real Madrid CF. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Real Madrid-Braga: UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Group stage". UEFA. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Real Madrid vs Valencia CF". La Liga. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Real Madrid 5–1 Valencia: Player ratings as Los Blancos run riot". 90min. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Nico Paz overwhelmed after scoring first Real Madrid goal in Napoli victory – "This is a dream"". Football España. 29 November 2023. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Como 1907 annuncia l'astro nascente del Real Madrid e nazionale giovanile argentino Nico Paz" (in Italian). Como 1907. 25 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Official Announcement: Nico Paz". Real Madrid CF. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Serie A | Cagliari 1–1 Como: Match Report". Football Italia. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Serie A | Como 1–1 Parma: Paz replies to spectacular Bonny strike". Football Italia. Yahoo Sports. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  14. ^ Caballero, Jorge (7 March 2022). "¿Quiénes son Nico Paz y Alejandro Garnacho, los talentos españoles que sorprendieron a Scaloni?" [Who are Nico Paz and Alejandro Garnacho, the Spanish talents that surprised Scaloni?]. Marca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Convocados de la Sub 20 para el Torneo Maurice Revello" [Sub 20: all the information on the Maurice Revello Tournament]. afa.com.ar (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  16. ^ Hancock, Greg Lea Contributions from Tom; published, Alasdair Mackenzie (2 November 2022). "Argentina World Cup 2022 squad: Lionel Scaloni announces 48-man longlist". fourfourtwo.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  17. ^ Cortina, Manuel (15 October 2024). "Argentina vs. Bolivia: resumen, goles y resultado del partido de las eliminatorias rumbo al Mundial 2026". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  18. ^ Sánchez, Borja (7 March 2022). "¿Quiénes son Nico Paz y Alejandro Garnacho, los talentos españoles que sorprendieron a Scaloni?" [Nico Paz, the promise of Real Madrid that falls in love with Scaloni: called up by Argentina at only 17 years old]. elespanol.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Nico Paz padres, este es el origen del padre, madre y hermanas del futbolista del Real Madrid". December 2023.
  20. ^ Nico Paz at Soccerway
  21. ^ "Real Madrid crowned champions after Barca's defeat at Girona". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  22. ^ "El Real Madrid recupera su corona en la Supercopa (4–1)" (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Real Madrid win Champions League: Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior see off Dortmund". UEFA. 1 June 2024. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.