Cesc Fabregas claims that Como sensation Nico Paz is getting Lionel Messi-esque treatment from Serie A rivals. World Cup winner Fabregas once played alongside Messi at Barcelona, with opponents eager to keep the ball away from him as much as possible. Paz is, much like his Argentina international team-mate, considered to be another match-altering talent.
Real Madrid academy graduate Paz starring in Italy
Paz, who started out in the academy system at Real Madrid, has quickly earned a reputation as one of the most destructive creative talents in the Italian top-flight. As a result, he is attracting plenty of attention.
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Much of that is positive, with senior international recognition coming his way ahead of the 2026 World Cup, but new challenges are being presented. Paz is having to find ways of influencing games when being denied time and space.
Just like Messi: Paz gets similar treatment
Messi has been able to achieve that over the course of his remarkable career, with records tumbling around the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, and Fabregas is pleased to see a player at his disposal being treated in a similar manner.
GOALFabregas puts Paz in Messi category
Ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and Barca star Fabregas, who is now in charge of Como, has told reporters of Paz: “If you ask me, when every team played against Barcelona, surely they didn’t want Messi to touch the ball. He would score three goals per game.
“I don’t know. This is a positive thing for Nico. I mean, this will happen more. I said it at the beginning of the season, I told him too. This tells me now that they look at you differently. They want to compete against you in a different way.”