Nicolás Pareja

Argentinos Juniors

Born in Buenos Aires, Pareja started playing for Argentinos Juniors. He scored his first goal in the Primera División on 10 February 2006, in a 2–1 win against Club Atlético Independiente.

Anderlecht

R.S.C. Anderlecht acquired Pareja in 2006 for €2 million as a replacement for Vincent Kompany, and the former went on to be a teammate of compatriots Lucas Biglia, Nicolás Frutos and Cristian Leiva. His first game in the Pro League took place on 20 August, when he came on as a second-half substitute in the 4–3 away defeat of K.V.C. Westerlo. Despite several injury problems, Pareja was regularly used during his two-year spell in Belgium, pairing mainly Roland Juhász. In late January 2008, he agreed to a contract extension until June 2012.

Espanyol

Pareja joined Spanish club RCD Espanyol in the summer of 2008, for a fee of €4.5 million. He made his La Liga debut on 14 September, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away victory over Recreativo de Huelva, and scored his first goal in the competition the following 11 January to help salvage a point at home to UD Almería (2–2). During his tenure in Catalonia, Pareja started in all his league appearances.

Spartak Moscow

In August 2010, after being linked to a move to former side Anderlecht, Pareja signed with FC Spartak Moscow. He made his Russian Premier League debut late in that month, featuring four minutes in a 4–2 home win against FC Tom Tomsk. After missing out several…

Pareja was part of the Argentina Olympic team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, contributing with five appearances to the gold medal conquest. His performances earned him praise from Diego Maradona. Pareja earned his first cap for the full side on 17 November 2010, in a 1–0 friendly win over Brazil. He was selected for the following year's Copa América, being an unused squad member. In August 2017, Pareja received a call up by his former Sevilla manager Sampaoli for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela.

Relatively small for his position, Pareja first played football in his local neighbourhood. While at Espanyol, he earned the nickname of Torero (bullfighter) because of his middle name "Martín". Friends with Daniel Jarque, Pareja donned a T-shirt in remembrance of him during the 2014 Europa League celebrations. Having grown up supporting Real Madrid, he also held an Italian passport.

Anderlecht

Belgian Pro League: 2006–07 Belgian Super Cup: 2007 Sevilla

UEFA Europa League: 2013–14, 2014–15 Argentina

Summer Olympic Games: 2008