Diego Paz: This 23-Year-Old Wants to Be the First Spain-Trained Player in the NFL

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Diego Paz: This 23-Year-Old Wants to Be the First Spain-Trained Player in the NFL.

23 years old, four years in football and a historic NFL tryout: Diego Paz González has achieved something no player born and trained in Spain had done before him. The defensive end from La Coruña has tried out for an NFL team.

Paz is therefore not simply a European football player discovered by a major league. He represents a direct route from Spanish sport into the highest league of American football. His career résumé is remarkably short and unusually international.

We therefore look at his clubs, his strong season with the Rhein Fire and the call from the Patriots. Behind this historic moment lies a career that only began in 2022 — and led surprisingly quickly to international recognition.

A Spanish Player on the Way to the NFL

The decisive breakthrough came in Düsseldorf. After spells with the Black Demons, the Barcelona Dragons, the Crocodiles in Finland, the Bravos in Spain and the Raiders Tirol in Austria, Paz most recently played for the Rhein Fire in Germany.

His performances earned the 23-year-old a place in the AFLE, the American Football League Europe. There, he received the award for the defensive player showing the greatest development of the season. With this honour, Paz had a record of performance that made a path into the NFL possible.

“I will be the first player born and trained in Spain to enter the NFL.”

The precise distinction is important: According to ABC.es, Paz has tried out for an NFL team. The sources do not name a confirmed contract. His goal is therefore clearly stated, but his previous historic achievement has not yet been completed.

The NFL tryout took place on an unusual Sunday. Paz told ABC.es that the Patriots called him while he was playing Madden NFL. It was 9:00 p.m. He immediately put down the console, called his mother first and then his friends.

From Athlete to Defensive End in Four Years

Paz ended his career in athletics in 2020 and took up football in 2022. For almost his entire sporting life to that point, he had competed in athletics. When Paz met a friend from the Black Demons at a sports performance centre in 2022, the friend suggested that he give football a try.

Paz barely knew the sport at the time. He had already ended his competitive athletics career and had become bigger and stronger through gym training. His friend’s invitation brought him to the Black Demons — and ultimately set him on a path that would take him to the cusp of the NFL.

His journey subsequently took him through Barcelona, Finland, Spain, Austria and Germany. For Paz, every move was another step in which he had to develop his role and play. The Rhein Fire in Düsseldorf apparently proved to be a particularly good fit: There, he met the requirements for the AFLE award and attracted the NFL’s attention.

His mother had already provided financial support at the beginning. At 19 years old, Paz had finished school and still had no income. His mother helped him buy a helmet and shoulder pads so he could obtain the equipment he needed to get started in the sport. The fact that his family backed his development from the outset helps explain his rapid progress.

Why American Football in Europe Is Becoming Important Now

Paz stands as a bridge between the growing European scene and the NFL. His spells in Finland, Austria, Spain and Germany show that American football now has structurally established club systems across Europe. Only then was the Spaniard able to gain experience at an international level.

The AFLE recognised his development with the Rhein Fire through a concrete award. According to the reports, the NFL took notice of his development when he tried out with the Patriots. For now, however, the reports document only the beginning of an assessment period and not a final employment contract.

The example has special significance for the NFL itself: Paz embodies a player who did not enter the league through the usual American college programmes. His technical and physical development took place in Europe. His first step into the NFL was therefore also an acknowledgement of the European football pathway.

The NFL Game Week in Madrid Makes the Path Visible

On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons face the Cincinnati Bengals. Their game at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid brings the NFL to Spain and brings the league closer to the worldwide attention sparked by Paz’s tryout.

For Paz, this date is primarily a point of comparison. In Madrid, audiences will see the league whose door he has described, according to ABC.es, as the first Spain-born and Spain-trained footballer to open in 2026. His own mission, however, goes further: The historic tryout should become the first Spain-born and Spain-trained NFL player.

Until then, his path remains open. He has gained international experience, won the AFLE award and made the leap into the NFL. The source has not yet confirmed whether this will lead to a permanent role with a team.

What remains is an unusual success story spanning four years. From former athlete through six European clubs to a tryout with the Patriots: Diego Paz has made the path visible for further Spanish players. At the Santiago Bernabéu, the NFL can now show how international its reach has become.