Como hand Nico Paz the armband as Ludi vows club 'will keep writing history' at Feyenoord

Como sporting director Carlalberto Ludi has spoken of his pride at watching Nico Paz captain the club for the first time from the start, as the Serie A side prepared for their maiden UEFA away fixture in the Champions League at Feyenoord.

Paz, who had previously only worn the armband as an in-game substitute after teammates left the pitch, led Como out at the De Kuip Stadion in Rotterdam, where more than a thousand travelling supporters gathered for a landmark night in the club's history.

"It is great to see 1,050 fans here to cheer on their team," Ludi told Sky Sport Italia. "This is a wonderful experience for them and for us, we want to enjoy it to the full. You know the mentality of Cesc Fabregas and the owners, so we are here to have a great game and make them proud. We have written many important pages in the history of Como, but we want to keep going and write more."

'He arrived as a child, now he puts the team on his back'

Ludi framed the captaincy as a marker of how far the 22-year-old Paz has come since joining the club as a teenager.

"I feel this is a significant growth, he arrived as a child basically three years ago, and now carries the armband and puts the team on his back," Ludi said. "I always cite the unlucky match against Frosinone that we lost 2-0, where he showed how much he cares about this shirt, how much he cares about taking his team to success. We lost that day, but the attitude and approach to me is significant."

A false nine and 'few reference points' for Feyenoord

With Moise Kean ruled out through injury, Ludi suggested Paz could be deployed as a false nine, with Martin Baturina and Assane Diao both capable of rotating into that role — a fluid setup Ludi believes will deny Feyenoord clear markers.

"Numbers are relative now in tactics, our football is about possession, trying to dominate the play, control the tempo of the match, and not show off weak points to our opponents," he added. "We have great respect for the Dutch school of football, our President already mentioned Johan Cruyff many times, he had a big influence on Spanish football too, and that filters down to our coach. With all that respect for their tradition, we are here to display our own style of football."

Diao extension: 'No emergency'

Asked about a potential contract extension for Diao, Ludi insisted there is no rush despite the winger's growing importance to the side.

"We are working in the office and there is no emergency to discuss. Assane is happy to be here, we're happy to have him, we're not in the final phases of negotiations, because we are in no rush," he said.

The context: a historic debut

Como arrived in Rotterdam on the back of a memorable Champions League bow. On 11 September 2026, Cesc Fabregas' side swept aside RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, with Martin Baturina, Tasos Douvikas, Assane Diao and Maximo Perrone all scoring as the club marked its first-ever match in Europe's elite competition.

Paz delivered two assists that night and, having stayed at Como despite reported interest from Real Madrid and Arsenal, said afterwards he remained at the club "for nights like this" (as reported on 11 September 2026). The trip to face Feyenoord now marks the next chapter — Como's first-ever away game in UEFA competition, and another page in the story Ludi says the club intends to keep writing.