Nicolás Alejandro Tagliafico (; born 31 August 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ligue 1 club Lyon and the Argentina national team.
He started his career at Banfield in Argentina before moving to Independiente where he won the 2017 Copa Sudamericana. He moved to Europe in 2018 to play with Dutch team Ajax, winning the Eredivisie three times before joining French team Lyon in 2022.
He was part of the Argentina squads for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups, winning the 2022 edition where he started the final. He was also part of the squads at the 2019, 2021, and 2024 Copa Américas, winning the latter two.
Club career Banfield Tagliafico made his professional debut for Banfield on a 2−1 away victory against Tigre for the fifth fixture of the 2011 Clausura, coming on as a substitute on the 72nd minute. Due to Marcelo Bustamante's ban, he was a starter the following game, a 2−2 draw with Huracán. In 2012, Tagliafico signed a one-year loan deal with Spanish club Real Murcia.
Independiente In 2015, he made the move to Independiente for an undisclosed transfer fee and made his professional debut for the club during a 3−2 away win at Newell's Old Boys. Tagliafico would end up captaining the team that won the 2017 Copa Sudamericana.
Ajax On 5 January 2018, Tagliafico moved to Eredivisie club Ajax for an estimated transfer fee of £4 million. He made his professional debut for the club on 21 January 2018 in a 2−0 home victory against rivals Feyenoord in the Klassieker. Under manager Erik ten Hag, he established himself as the team's primary left-back due to his defensive tenacity and tactical discipline. He scored his first goal for the club on 11 March 2018 in a 4–1 league victory over SC Heerenveen.
During the 2018–19 season, Tagliafico was an integral component of the Ajax squad that achieved a domestic double and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 19 September 2018, scoring a brace in a 3–0 home victory over AEK Athens. He also scored a late equalising goal in a 3–3 draw against Bayern Munich on 12 December 2018 to ensure Ajax finished the group stage undefeated. Tagliafico featured prominently in the knockout phase, where Ajax eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus before exiting to Tottenham Hotspur on away goals. At the conclusion of the season, he won his first Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup, alongside being named the Eredivisie Player of the Month for November 2018.
In the 2019–20 season, Tagliafico maintained his regular starting role, contributing three goals in 24 league matches and scoring in continental fixtures against Lille and Valencia. Although the Eredivisie campaign was voided without a champion due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he signed a contract extension in late 2020 to remain in Amsterdam despite interest from alternative European top-flight clubs.
On 21 October 2020, Tagliafico scored an own goal in a 1–0 home defeat against Liverpool in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage. Despite this, he helped Ajax secure another domestic double during the 2020–21 season, featuring in 25 league matches and starting the 2021 KNVB Cup Final, which ended in a 2–1 win over Vitesse.
During his final year at the club, the 2021–22 season, Tagliafico faced rotation for the starting left-back position with teammate Daley Blind. He adapted to a fluctuating role across the defense, making 22 Eredivisie appearances and scoring two goals. He concluded his tenure at Ajax with a third consecutive Eredivisie title before transferring to Olympique Lyonnais in July 2022. In total, Tagliafico made 169 official appearances for Ajax, scoring 16 goals across all competitions.
Lyon
On 23 July 2022, he joined Ligue 1 club Lyon on a three-year deal until June 2025, for €4.2 million. Nearing a departure from Lyon, he renewed his contract with the club on 1 August 2025, signing a two-year contract extension until 30 June 2027.
International career
Tagliafico has played in all the youth categories of the Argentina national team: under-15, under-17 and under-20. Tagliafico impressed for the Argentina national under-20 football team at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia; however, he missed Argentina's final kick in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Portugal, meaning Argentina exited that competition 5–4 on penalties (Cartagena, 13 August 2011).
In May 2018, he was named in Argentina's final 23 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also played the 2019 Copa América, and took with Argentina the third place, through a 2–1 victory over Chile in the third-place match.
In June 2021, he was included in Lionel Scaloni's final Argentina 28-man squad for the 2021 Copa América.
In November 2022, he was named in Argentina's final 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by Scaloni. Tagliafico was part of the starting line-up in the final against France, where Argentina won the World Cup by a score of 4–2 on penalties.
In June 2024, Tagliafico was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América.
On 27 May 2026, Tagliafico was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Style of play
Tagliafico is noted for his "lung-busting stamina, excellent technique, and continuous enterprise". As a result of his skills, as well as his playing position and nationality, and striking visual resemblance, he has been compared to the Inter Milan and Argentina full-back Javier Zanetti, formerly also of Banfield.
Personal life Tagliafico was born in on 31 August 1992 in Rafael Calzada, a local city in Buenos Aires Province,. Tagliafico is of Italian descent. His paternal grandparents are from the city of Genoa, whereas his maternal family are of Calabrian origin; he also has Italian citizenship. Several ancestors of Tagliafico immigrated and settled across Argentina, primarily in Buenos Aires and Córdoba, and Uruguay.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBanfield2010–11Argentine Primera División90000000902011–123310000003312013–14Primera B Nacional34021–003612014Argentine Primera División14100–00141Total902210000923Real Murcia (loan)2012–13Segunda División27010––280Independiente2015Argentine Primera División311206Appearances in Copa Sudamericana000391201616120403Appearances in Torneos de Verano02512016–1729010110204302017–189000000090Total85250210501162Ajax2017–18Eredivisie1510000–1512018–1929221153–4662019–2024330112003852020–2125140110–4012021–22222413010303Total11591324051016916Lyon2022–23Ligue 134140––3812023–2425360––3132024–252430092–3352025–262002080–3002026–27100020–30Total1047120192–1359Career total421203338076054030
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsArgentina2017102018110201913020203020218020221202023712024120202570202690Total831
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tagliafico goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Nicolás Tagliafico No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition 1 12 September 2023 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 51 2–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Banfield Primera B Nacional: 2013–14
Independiente Copa Sudamericana: 2017
Ajax Eredivisie: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 KNVB Cup: 2018–19, 2020–21
Lyon Coupe de France runner-up: 2023–24
Argentina FIFA World Cup: 2022; runner-up: 2026 Copa América: 2021, 2024 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
Individual South American Team of the Year: 2017 Eredivisie Player of the Month: November 2018 Eredivisie Team of the Season: 2018–19 IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Year: 2020
References
External links
Nicolás Tagliafico at the Olympique Lyonnais website
Statistics at Football-Lineups.com