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.
| 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(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 | 8 | (1) |
| 2024– | Como | 11 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Argentina U20 | 8 | (4) |
| 2024– | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:05, 7 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editReal Madrid
editEarly career
editA 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
editOn 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
editOn 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
editBorn 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
editPaz 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
editClub
edit- As of match played 7 November 2024[20]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | 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[a] | 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[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Como | 2024–25 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 64 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 72 | 14 | ||
- ^ Appearances in Primera Federación play-offs
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
edit- As of match played 15 October 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honours
editReal Madrid
References
edit- ^ a b c d Nico Paz at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Profile". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Real Madrid vs Valencia CF". La Liga. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Official Announcement: Nico Paz". Real Madrid CF. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ "Serie A | Cagliari 1–1 Como: Match Report". Football Italia. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Serie A | Como 1–1 Parma: Paz replies to spectacular Bonny strike". Football Italia. Yahoo Sports. 19 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Nico Paz padres, este es el origen del padre, madre y hermanas del futbolista del Real Madrid". December 2023.
- ^ Nico Paz at Soccerway
- ^ "Real Madrid crowned champions after Barca's defeat at Girona". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ "El Real Madrid recupera su corona en la Supercopa (4–1)" (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "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.