Premier League: Declan Rice, Guardiola’s most expensive setback
Real Madrid is a club that knows how to spot talent and then keep them if they are promising. Better, lately, the club makes a policy of recruitment as well as training, which works very well. The proof is that its greatest talent is torn in two directions, by Argentina and Spain who all want to grab it.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will be on stage this Tuesday, January 3, 2023 for its debut in the Copa Del Rey. And for the occasion, the Italian coach has included several youngsters from the youth academy in his team to face Cacereño. And one of them is Nico Paz, an 18-year-old Spanish-Argentinean midfielder, son of an Argentine footballer, Pablo Paz, who played, among others, for Tenerife and Valladolid. Nico has nothing to do with the way his father played. Pablo was a very good central defender, strong, with quality, who brought the ball back well, but a defender after all.
Nico is another footballer profile. He carries his father’s genes, but his characteristics are completely different, as is his position on the field. The young player who made his debut in Castilla with Raúl last season, is now under Arbeloa in the Juvenil A of Real Madrid, where a physical ailment kept him out at the beginning of the season. Despite this, he remains a very important player. His impact is such that Spain and Argentina have been fighting for him to play with them. For now, Albiceleste won out, as Scaloni brought him into the senior team last March, even though he didn’t make his debut.
He made his debut with the U20s, so his decision to play for Argentina seems clear, although the doors to the Spanish national team are also open to him. Nico Paz is a modern midfielder, an inside midfielder with a huge range. He is left-handed, although he also uses his right foot when necessary. He has good vision, but more importantly he has a lot of running. He drives beautifully and has a great shot from outside the box. Perhaps his favorite move is to start on the right flank, on the left, cut inside until he finds the space to shoot with his left foot or make the final pass.
Also, Nico Paz has a great finish, in the style of Fede Valverde, although slower and less physical. He is also good in the air. This means that we are dealing with a very complete player. In Arbeloa’s youth team, together with other players like Chema, Manuel Ángel and Palacios, son of César Palacios, he forms a great midfield. Ancelotti has already counted on him in the friendly match against Getafe a few days ago and had to convince him.
It is interesting to note that among the young players that Ancelotti took to play against Cacereño, three are sons of players who excelled in Spain. Lucas Cañizares, son of Santi, legendary goalkeeper of Celta, Real Madrid, Valencia and the Spanish national team among others, the Spanish-Uruguayan Álvaro Rodríguez, son of Coquito Rodríguez, and Nico Paz. The last two are still young and will certainly make a name for themselves in the future.
