Osvaldo Fabián Nicolás "Nico" Gaitán (Spanish pronunciation: [osˈβaldo faˈβjan nikoˈlas ˈniko ɣajˈtan];[a] born 23 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.

Born in San Martín, Buenos Aires, Gaitán rose from the ranks at Boca Juniors, having entered its youth system at the age of 13 in spite of doubts regarding his future due to his small frame.

[1] He made his competitive debut with the club on 1 June 2008 in a 3–1 win against Arsenal de Sarandí,[2] and scored his first two Primera División goals two months later in a 3–0 success at Huracán.

On 3 May 2010, Portugal's Benfica confirmed they had reached an agreement to sign Gaitán for €8.4 million,[5] as a replacement for countryman Ángel Di María who had just been sold to Real Madrid.

[6] He made his official debut for his new team by starting and playing 66 minutes in a 1–2 away loss to Nacional, opening his scoring account also with a brace, at home against Naval on 14 November (4–0).

[25] On 26 February 2018, along with teammate Yannick Carrasco, Gaitán joined Chinese Super League newcomers Dalian Yifang, which was also owned by Atlético Madrid's partial owner Wanda Group.

[44] With Sabella, Gaitán did not make an appearance but with the appointment of Gerardo Martino, he returned after a two-year absence, playing the final minutes, after replacing Sergio Agüero on 3 September 2014 in an away win against Germany.

A left-footer who is also able to play on the right, with good dribbling skills and close control, Gaitán's main asset is ball distribution as he is able to cross from either flank, and while on the right he possesses the vision to pick holes when cutting inside.