The first trophy of Nicolás Hernán Otamendi’s career came in 2009, when he won the Clausura title of the Argentine Primera División with Vélez Sarsfield. Born on 12 February 1988 in El Talar, in the Tigre district of Buenos Aires province, he is a centre-back who played in Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, Spain and England, won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and has played for River Plate since July 2026.
Childhood and Vélez academy
He grew up in El Talar, where as a boy he combined football with boxing. He joined the Vélez Sarsfield youth system and came through every level of the academy before reaching the first team. He made his top-flight debut on 10 May 2008, on matchday 14 of the Clausura, in a 2-1 win over Rosario Central. A year later he was a starter in the defence of the side that won the 2009 Clausura, the title that opened the door to the national team and to Europe.
Porto: three league titles and the Europa League
In August 2010 Porto paid €4 million for 50 per cent of his economic rights, and in September 2011 the club acquired the rest. In Portugal he won three consecutive league titles (2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13), the 2010-11 Portuguese Cup and three Super Cups (2011, 2012 and 2013). The biggest success of that spell was the 2010-11 Europa League, which completed a treble that season. In 2012 the newspaper O Jogo named him in its Portuguese league team of the year.
From Belo Horizonte to Valencia
On 5 February 2014 Valencia announced his signing for €12 million on a five-year contract that would start on 1 July. In the meantime he was loaned to Atlético Mineiro, playing part of the Brasileirão and reaching the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores. He made his Valencia debut on 25 August 2014 in a 1-1 draw with Sevilla on the opening weekend. It was his only season at Mestalla and he finished it with 38 appearances and 6 goals; La Liga named him in its team of the season for 2014-15.
Manchester City: two Premier League titles
Manchester City signed him on 20 August 2015 for £32 million. He made his debut on 15 September that year in a Champions League match against Juventus. Under Pep Guardiola, in charge from 2016, he became a regular starter, and in 2017-18 he won the Premier League and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. He won the league again in 2018-19, a season in which the club also lifted the FA Cup. In England he added four League Cups (2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20) and two Community Shields (2018 and 2019). He left after 210 appearances and 11 goals.
Benfica captain and champion
On 29 September 2020 he joined Benfica for €15 million. In Lisbon he went on to wear the armband, and as captain he lifted the 2022-23 Primeira Liga. The 2023 Super Cup, the 2024-25 League Cup and the 2025 Super Cup followed. He was named in the Portuguese league team of the year in 2022-23 and 2024-25, and in 2024 he received the club’s Cosme Damião award as footballer of the year. He ended his spell with 281 appearances and 18 goals. On 29 May 2026 River Plate announced that he would join on 1 July, once his deal with the Portuguese club had ended.
Argentina national team
Diego Maradona handed him his debut on 20 May 2009 in a friendly against Panama that Argentina won 3-1. The following year he played three matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where Argentina went out in the quarter-finals. Over time he became a fixture in defence: he lost the Copa América finals of 2015 and 2016, reached the last 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and finished third at the 2019 Copa América. Under Lionel Scaloni the trophies came: the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima against Italy in London, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he played all seven matches, and the 2024 Copa América. That same year he played at the Paris Olympics as one of the over-age players. At the 2026 World Cup he again played all seven matches; Argentina lost the final 1-0 to Spain after extra time.
Farewell to Argentina
In July 2026 he announced his retirement from international football after 17 years. He returned for one last match on 6 October 2026 at the Estadio Monumental, Lionel Messi’s farewell game, against Benin. He opened the scoring in the 48th minute from a Messi delivery in a 3-0 win. He closed his international career with 140 caps and 9 goals.
River Plate