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.
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]
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]
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]
Paz was assigned the #10 shirt ahead of the 2025–26 season with Como, after a summer where Real Madrid declined to activate their first buyback option along with Como rejecting offers from other clubs interested in the player.[citation needed] He started in Como's opening Coppa Italia game against Südtirol in a 3–1 victory.[citation needed] On 24 August, on his anniversary of signing with the club, Paz provided an assist and scored a free-kick goal in a season-opening 2–0 win against Lazio.[14]
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][15]
Paz also was called up to the Argentina under-20 side for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament in France.[16] He was later named in Argentina's preliminary 48-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[17]
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.[citation needed]
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]
| 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 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| Total | 37 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 7 | ||||
| Career total | 90 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 99 | 21 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
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