Nico Paz
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.
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Paz with Argentina in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nicolás Paz Martínez[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 September 2004[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Como | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | 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 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Como | 73 | (19) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Argentina U20 | 8 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Argentina | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:31, 4 September 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 04:23, 28 June 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
La Fábrica
A youth product of San Juan and Tenerife, Paz joined the Real Madrid's La Fábrica in 2016.[3]
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.[4][5]
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.[4]
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 the Santiago Bernabéu.[6][7] 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.[8][9] On 29 November, he scored his first goal in the Champions League, securing a 4–2 win against Napoli.[10]
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 €66 million fee.[11][12] The following day, he made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Cagliari.[13] On 19 October, he scored his first goal for Como in a 1–1 draw against Parma.[14]
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.[15] He was also included in the 23-man squad for Serie A Team of the Season.[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] Como head coach Cesc Fàbregas confirmed that Paz would not be available for the last two matches due to a knock to his knee.[23]
International career
Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, to an Argentine father and a Spanish mother, Paz was eligible to represent both Spain and Argentina at international level.[2] He was first called up to the senior Argentina national team in March 2022.[4][24] Paz was also included in the Argentina under-20 squad for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament in France.[25] He was then named in Argentina's preliminary 48-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but did not make the final cut.[26]
On 15 October 2024, Paz made his senior debut for Argentina as a substitute in a 6–0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Bolivia, recording an assist for Lionel Messi.[27] He scored his first international goal on 27 March 2026, converting a free kick in a 2–1 friendly win against Mauritania.[28]
On 27 May 2026, despite a knee injury scare while playing for Como a few weeks prior,[29] Paz was selected in Argentina's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.[30] On 17 June, he made his World Cup debut in Argentina's 3–0 group stage win against Algeria, coming on as a substitute for Lionel Messi in the final ten minutes.[31] Paz then started in Argentina's final group match against Jordan on 27 June, playing the first hour of a 3–1 victory.[32] He would not make another appearance at the tournament, remaining an unused substitute in Argentina's five knockout stage matches as they went on to lose in the final against Spain, Paz's birth country.[33]
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.[4][35] His mother is Spanish.[36]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 4 September 2026[37]
| 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 | 35 | 12 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 13 | |||
| 2026–27 | Serie A | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 73 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 78 | 20 | |||
| Career total | 126 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 139 | 33 | ||
- Includes Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia
- Appearances in Primera Federación play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | |
- As of match played 27 March 2026[38]
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Paz goal.
| 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
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2026[42]
Individual
- Serie A Best Under-23 Player: 2024–25[43]
- EA Sports FC Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25,[44] 2025–26[45]
- The Athletic Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25[46]
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2025–26[47]
- Serie A Rising Star of the Month: August 2025,[48] September 2025[49]
- Serie A Best Midfielder: 2025–26[50]