At 36 years old, Nicolás Mazzola has retired from professional football after his last stint with Sol de Mayo, and he is about to make an unexpected turn: he will join the Albiceleste basketball team, with which he will make his debut this weekend in the First Division of the 2026 Apertura Tournament of the Lower Valley Basketball Association (ABVI).
The striker played in the youth divisions of Sol de Mayo until he was 14, when he moved to Buenos Aires to join the youth ranks of Independiente de Avellaneda, where he made his debut in 2008 under the management of Pedro Troglio. He played only a few matches for El Rojo, but was part of the squad that won the 2010 Copa Sudamericana with Antonio Mohamed as coach.
During his extensive career, he gained experience with several First Division teams: Instituto (where he achieved promotion), Gimnasia de La Plata, Unión, and Arsenal de Sarandí. He also played abroad: he played for Locarno in Switzerland, O’Higgins in Chile, Panetolikos in Greece, and Xinabajul in Guatemala.
He also wore the Argentina national team jersey: in 2007 he was called up by Hugo Tocalli for the U-17 South American Championship and later played in the World Cup for that age group in the same year.
In 2024 he returned to Sol de Mayo and on October 5, 2025 played his last professional match, in the 2-1 victory against San Martín de Formosa at the Albiceleste Stadium.
Now he will remain connected to the club where he was born: he swapped the No. 5 for the No. 7 and is at the center of one of the most remarkable stories of the year for local basketball.
The message with which he put an end to his career
It was an incredible journey, full of emotions. I lived unforgettable moments and achieved many more dreams than I ever imagined.
Thank you, football, for allowing me to discover countries, different leagues, play in international cups, and face great players and teams both nationally and internationally.
Thank you also for letting me wear the most beautiful jersey in the world: that of the Argentina Youth National Team. Defending those colors was one of the greatest honors and fulfilled dreams of my career.
Thank you to my mom and dad for always supporting me, for their sacrifices, and for letting me leave home so young to chase this dream.
Thank you to my wife, my partner in a thousand battles, for always being by my side, for handling many situations alone, and for leading our family with so much love.
Thank you, Mono, my friend and my agent, for coming into my life at a difficult time in my career and helping me move forward, always thinking about what was best for me.
A special thank you to Club Atlético Villa San Carlos. Even though its jersey doesn’t appear in the video today, the memory of my time at the club will always be present.
Thank you also to every teammate, coaching staff, doctors, kit men, and everyone who is part of this sport. Football has given me friendships that I will carry with me forever.
And thank you to every fan who supported me throughout all these years. Your affection and every message of encouragement were a huge motivation.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
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