Nahuel Molina
Argentine footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nahuel Molina Lucero (born 6 April 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Serie A club Roma and the Argentina national team.
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Molina with Argentina in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nahuel Molina Lucero[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 April 1998[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Embalse, Córdoba, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Right-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Roma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boca Juniors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Boca Juniors | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | → Defensa y Justicia (loan) | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → Rosario Central (loan) | 22 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Udinese | 64 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2026 | Atlético Madrid | 119 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Roma | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Argentina | 65 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 September 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 July 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Molina started his career at Boca Juniors in Argentina. He moved to Udinese in Italy in 2020 before joining Atlético Madrid in 2022. Molina was part of the Argentina squads for the 2022, and 2026 World Cups, winning the 2022 edition where he started the final. He was also part of the squads at the 2021, and 2024 Copa Américas, which Argentina both won.
Club career
Molina trained in the Barça Juniors Luján sports project, an FC Barcelona project in Argentina,[3] which even led him to travel to Barcelona to train with the lower sections of FC Barcelona. In 2012, the Juniors Luján project was integrated into the youth ranks of CA Boca Juniors, and he continued his training in this club.[4]
On 18 February 2016, Molina made his first team debut for Boca Juniors in a league game against San Martín de San Juan, playing the full game.[5][6] In January 2018, he was loaned out to Defensa y Justicia for the rest of the year.[7]
On 15 September 2020, Molina joined Udinese on a free transfer until 2025.[8]
On 28 July 2022, he joined Atlético Madrid on a five-year contract,[9] for a reported fee of €10 million and €5 million in variables.[10] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away win over Rayo Vallecano on 9 April 2023.[11]
International career
On 3 June 2021, Molina debuted for the Argentina national team in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, coming on as a substitute for Juan Foyth in the 81st minute.[13]
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match against the Netherlands on 9 December 2022, Molina scored his first goal for Argentina, starting in six matches for Argentina as first choice right-back scoring one goal and providing one assist throughout the tournament en route to become champions.[14]
In June 2024, Molina was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América.[15]
On 27 May 2026, Molina was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[16] Following Argentina's loss to Spain in the final, Molina and midfielder Leandro Paredes received condemnation for their violent conduct towards opposing players after the final whistle.[17] On 29 July 2026, FIFA opened proceedings against Molina, investigating him for two counts of assault and one count of unsporting behaviour.[18]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 September 2026[19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boca Juniors | 2016–17 | Argentine Primera División | 8 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| Defensa y Justicia (loan) | 2017–18 | Argentine Primera División | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7[c] | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| Rosario Central (loan) | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | Argentine Primera División | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |||
| Udinese | 2020–21 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 35 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 8 | |||
| Total | 64 | 9 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 68 | 10 | ||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2022–23 | La Liga | 33 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | — | 43 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 30 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 10[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 30 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | 2[f] | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | La Liga | 26 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 13[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| Total | 119 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 181 | 9 | ||
| Roma | 2026–27 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 232 | 19 | 30 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 318 | 21 | ||
- Includes Copa Argentina, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
- Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in Copa Sudamericana
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supercopa de España
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International
- As of match played 19 July 2026[20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2021 | 13 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 65 | 1 | |
- As of match played 19 July 2026. Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Molina goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | 25 |  Netherlands | 1–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
