Footballer (born 2004)
In this
Spanish name , the first or paternal
surname is
Paz and the second or maternal family name is
Martínez .
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 .
Club career
Real Madrid
Early 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]
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
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
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
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
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
Club
As of match played 15 December 2024 [ 20]
International
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
Real Madrid
References
^ 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 .