Moises Paniagua

Moisés Paniagua Leaño (born 16 August 2007) is a Bolivian professional footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Always Ready.

Born in Tarija, Paniagua is the younger brother of fellow professional footballer, Emanuel Paniagua, who also plays for Always Ready. The two took an interest in football at a young age, playing futsal at the Los Mineros futsal field in the Fátima neighbourhood of Tarija.

Early career

Paniagua began his career with his brother in the academy of semi-professional side García Agreda, where they both won a number of club and individual awards. Paniagua would go on to join San José de Tarija, the affiliate side of Club San José, while his brother joined Cancheritos, an academy in Cercado. The two would be reunited when they both represented the Tarija Department at the National Under-19 Futsal Tournament - having already represented Tarija at both football and futsal.

Always Ready

After impressive performances at the Under-16 National Championship in May 2022, Paniagua was scouted by professional side Always Ready. He joined the club in the second half of the 2022 season, alongside his brother. On 19 October 2022, he became the youngest player to score in the Bolivian Primera División when he scored the only goal on his debut in a 1–0 win against Royal Pari. Twenty-four hours after his professional debut, he featured in Always Ready's reserve win over the same opposition, with the La Paz-based club running out 5–2 winners, with Paniagua scoring twice.

Due to civil unrest in the Santa Cruz Department, the Bolivian Football Federation terminated the 2022 Bolivian Primera División season, and Paniagua would have to wait until the following year to feature for Always Ready again. On just his second appearance for the club, he scored the fourth goal in a 5–0 win over Libertad Gran Mamoré. He made his debut in the Copa Libertadores before travelling to Ecuador to represent Bolivia at the 2023 South American U-17 Championship. Following his impressive start to his career, he was linked with a move to Europe, with club president Andrés Costa stating that "concrete offers" had been received.

Paniagua was first called up to the Bolivia national under-17 football team in May 2022, for training and five friendly games in Paraguay. At the 2023 South American U-17 Championship, he scored in a 2–1 win over Peru, also assisting Braian Mamani for the winning goal.

Club

As of 13 June 2023.