Nico Paz
Spanish-Argentine footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicolás Paz Martínez (born 8 September 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Como. Born in Spain, he plays for the Argentina national team.
|
Paz with Como in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicolás Paz Martínez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 September 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain[1] | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Como | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| 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 | 49 | (11) |
| 2023–2024 | Real Madrid | 4 | (1) |
| 2024– | Como | 67 | (18) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Argentina U20 | 8 | (4) |
| 2024– | Argentina | 8 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19:54, 17 April 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 03:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Youth career
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]
Real Madrid
Paz made his senior debut for Real Madrid Castilla in a 3–1 win over Andorra in January 2022, coming on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Iván Morante.[3]
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 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
On 25 August 2024, Paz signed for newly promoted Serie A club Como on a four-year deal for a reported €6 million 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]
After registering six goals and nine assists in his debut season in Italy, Paz was named Best Under-23 player at the 2024–25 Serie A Awards.[14] He was also included in the 23-man squad for Serie A Team of the Season.[15]
In August 2025, Sky Sport Italia reported that Como had rejected an offer of €50m for Paz from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.[16]
Paz was assigned Como's #10 shirt ahead of the 2025–26 season. On 24 August, in the opening match of the Serie A season, Paz provided an assist and scored a goal from a free-kick to give Como a 2–0 win against Lazio.[17] He continued his strong start to the season by scoring in the next two home matches against Genoa[18] and Cremonese respectively,[19] as well as assisting both of the team's goals in a 2–1 win at Fiorentina.[20] This form saw him named Serie A's "Rising Star of the Month" for September 2025.[21] On 19 October, Paz assisted Marc-Oliver Kempf's opening goal and scored his team's second as Como defeated Juventus for the first time since 1952.[22]
International career
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][23]
Paz also was called up to the Argentina under-20 side for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament in France.[24] He was later named in Argentina's preliminary 48-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[25]
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.[26]
Style of play
Personal life
Paz is the son of former Argentine international Pablo Paz, who played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.[3][28] His mother is Spanish.[29]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 April 2026[30]
| 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 | — | — | 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 | 35 | 6 | — | — | — | 35 | 6 | |||
| 2025–26 | Serie A | 32 | 12 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 13 | |||
| Total | 67 | 18 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 71 | 19 | ||||
| Career total | 120 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 132 | 32 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia
- Appearances in Primera Federación play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026[30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 1 | |
- As of match played 27 March 2026
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paz goal.[30][31]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 March 2026 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 7 |  Mauritania | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
Real Madrid
Individual
- Serie A Best Under-23: 2024–25[35]
- Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25[36]
- The Athletic Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25[37]
- Serie A Rising Star of the Month: August 2025,[38] September 2025[39]