Nico Paz: a coronation in waiting
With Messi gone from the national team, Argentina's number 10 needs an heir. The data already have a candidate.
Watching an Argentine number 10 always stirs something deep inside. Since Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini said goodbye to the national team on 6 October against Benin, Argentina has been asking who will inherit the sacred number of the Albiceleste, the heaviest shirt in the history of football. The pretenders are silent, shy, caught between desire and the weight of a responsibility that looks too much like carrying the ring of Sauron. There are plenty of doubts about who the chosen one will be. Big Data has none. Here are the reasons for our vote, so that coronation day does not catch you by surprise.
On the shores of Lake Como, at the foot of the Lombard Alps, a prince has grown up. Fine-featured, delicately built, with a refined touch on the ball that only those born with the gift possess. Nico Paz is the type who eats pizza with a knife and fork and dabs the crumbs from his lips; the type who addresses you formally and asks permission to leave the table. And yes, it is a little annoying.
There are plenty of doubts about who the chosen one will be. Big Data has none.
The Spanish-Argentine, born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 22 years ago, has already shown the world unique dribbles, decisive vertical runs with the ball and goals worthy of a privileged mind. His Big Data rating is 84: the highest among midfielders in the 26 leagues we analyse, level with Kings Kangwa (Panathinaikos), and also the highest in Serie A. His percentiles are out of this world: he creates like a number 10 (P91), arrives in the box like a striker (P90) and presses like a specialist (P92). Nor does he fall short in finishing (P82), although his value lies not in his goals but in his influence over the whole team. He is the axis of the Como side that Cesc Fàbregas is patiently building.
Nico floats every time he touches the ball and shakes off his markers as if they were foam.
And on Wednesday he breaks out of his shell in Europe. A player intense yet elegant, meticulous and, above all, effective. He is involved in three of the goals in the 4-1 win over Manchester United in the Champions League: he opens the scoring in the second minute, sets up Douvikas for the second and scores the third himself. Two stunning left-footed goals and an assist. Nico floats every time he touches the ball and shakes off his markers as if they were foam.
After that match, his season stands at four goals and five assists in ten games. The numbers speak, but the most convincing arguments are seen on the pitch. An insatiable player who keeps gathering support to claim the crown or, rather, the shirt. Long live the new king.
Data: API-Football, 2026/27 season up to 21/10/2026, including Como v Manchester United. Big Data rating and percentiles: Al Primer Toque, against midfielders in the 26 leagues we analyse, with the league coefficient and all competitions (Serie A and Champions League), calculated before that match: 751 minutes, plus the 2025/26 season (2,884 minutes in Serie A).
