Nahuel Molina Lucero (born 6 April 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Argentina national team.
Molina trained in the Barça Juniors Luján sports project, a 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 Molina continued his training in this club.[4]
On 18 February 2016, he 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, Molina was loaned out to Defensa y Justicia for the rest of the year.[7]
On 15 September 2020, Molina joined Udinese Calcio 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]
On 3 June 2021, Molina debuted for the Argentina national team in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, coming as a substitute to Juan Foyth in the 81st minute.[11]
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.[12]
In June 2024, Molina was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América.[13]
| 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 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Rosario Central (loan) | 2018–19 | Argentine Primera División | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||
| Udinese | 2020–21 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 35 | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 64 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 10 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2022–23 | La Liga | 33 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | — | 43 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 10[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | 30 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8[d] | 1 | 2[f] | 0 | 46 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 94 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 136 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 205 | 17 | 24 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 270 | 19 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2021 | 13 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar | 25 |  Netherlands |
1–0 | 2–2 (4–3 p) | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
Argentina
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
