Nico Paz is the playmaker who turned Como into one of Serie A’s surprises, and at twenty-one Real Madrid, Inter and half the Premier League are fighting over him. An Argentine attacking midfielder raised in the blancos’ academy, in 2025/26 he struck twelve league goals and was named Serie A’s best midfielder. In this scout report we look at who he is, how he plays, and what his strengths and limits really are.
The profile at a glance
Before the details, the essentials on the player:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Nico Paz |
| Born | 8 September 2004 (21 years old) |
| Position | Attacking midfielder |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Club | Como (since 2024) |
| 2025/26 season | 12 goals in 35 Serie A appearances |
| National team | Argentina |
His full name is Nicolás Paz Martínez, but to everyone he is simply Nico. It is a surname that carries weight in Argentine football: his father Pablo was a defender for the Albiceleste, and it was his father’s spell at Tenerife that explains why Nico was born in Spain, in the Canary Islands.
Who is Nico Paz
The son of a footballer, Nico chose to represent Argentina despite being schooled in Spain, in Real Madrid’s academy. With Castilla he racked up 49 appearances and 11 goals, breaking into the first team in 2023/24: a handful of La Liga games and, above all, a Champions League goal as a nineteen-year-old, plus a place in the squad that won the league and the European Cup that season.
At the Bernabéu, though, the queue ahead of him was long. In the summer of 2024 Real sold him to newly promoted Como, inserting a buy-back option into the deal that would prove decisive. In Lombardy, in the project led by Cesc Fàbregas, Nico found what he would not have had in Madrid: minutes, trust and the number 10 shirt made to measure.
The breakout season
If his first year was about settling in (35 appearances and six goals, with the award for Serie A’s best Under-23), 2025/26 was the season of his rise. Nico finished with twelve goals in 35 league games, doubling his return and becoming the creative hub around which Como built their identity.
The recognition came at the end of the campaign: Serie A’s best midfielder, a rare honour for a twenty-one-year-old at a mid-table side. In between, the summer with his country: with Argentina, for whom he has eleven caps, he featured at the 2026 World Cup, confirming on a global stage what Italy had already seen.
The scout report: how he plays
The first trait is quality in the final third. Nico is a pure attacking midfielder, left-footed, who lives between the lines: he receives between midfield and the opposition defence, turns with ease and looks for the vertical ball or the through pass that breaks the structure. Vision is his signature, and the seasonal statistics place him among the league’s leaders for chances created.
The second trait is his growth in front of goal. Last season’s twelve goals point to a player who has added end product to his talent: he can shoot from distance, he is dangerous from set pieces and he has learned to arrive in the box to finish moves, not only to feed them. In a tactical setup that lets him roam, he combines dribbling in tight spaces with a strong understanding with the forwards.
Then come the limits, typical of the role and the age. The defensive phase remains a work in progress: his contribution in cover and in the press is still inconsistent, and in physical duels, despite standing at one metre eighty-five, he can be overpowered. At times he forces the decisive play when the simple choice would do. And consistency across a full season, at the very top level, remains the real test for a talent still under construction. Nothing structural: these are the growth margins of a modern number 10.
What to expect
The market has revolved around him for months. According to reports, in the summer of 2026 Real Madrid exercised their option only to leave him at Como once more, with the Italian side said to be paying a fee of around 60 million euros, while the blancos kept a new buy-back clause valued at roughly 80 million. In the background moved Inter, longtime admirers of the player partly through family ties, and Tottenham, whose reported bid in excess of 70 million was said to have been turned down. All scenarios to be read in the conditional, in a window still open.
Verdict
Nico Paz is the classic number 10 the big clubs come back for early: vision, the final pass, goals and a tactical maturity that makes the difference at twenty-one. The road to becoming a genuine elite player runs through the details, from defensive solidity to seasonal consistency. But the trajectory is clear: Real let him leave while keeping the door open, and that is no accident. If his growth continues at this pace, the boy born in Tenerife with a heavy surname will soon be one of the cover names of the European market.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Nico Paz?
An Argentine attacking midfielder born in 2004, playing for Como in Serie A. Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and raised in Real Madrid's academy, in 2025/26 he scored 12 league goals and was named Serie A's best midfielder.
Who does Nico Paz play for?
He plays for Como in Serie A, wearing the number 10 shirt. He joined from Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. Internationally he represents Argentina, with whom he featured at the 2026 World Cup.
How much is Nico Paz worth?
Reports in the summer of 2026 point to rejected bids in excess of 70 million euros and a buy-back clause in Real Madrid's favour said to be around 80 million. Every figure should be read in the conditional, as always with an open window.
What kind of player is Nico Paz?
A left-footed attacking midfielder with rare technical quality: vision, the final pass and long-range shooting are his best traits. He has also grown as a finisher, but still has to refine his defensive work and his physical duels.
How many goals did Nico Paz score in 2025/26?
In the 2025/26 season he scored 12 goals in 35 Serie A appearances for Como, double his tally from his first Italian campaign. Numbers that earned him the league's best midfielder award.
