.jpg) Palacio in 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1982-02-05)5 February 1982 (age 43) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bahía Blanca, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second striker | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2002 | Bella Vista | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Huracán de Tres Arroyos | 53 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Banfield | 36 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Boca Juniors | 131 | (54) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Genoa | 90 | (35) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2017 | Inter Milan | 140 | (39) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2021 | Bologna | 127 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Brescia | 30 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 607 | (177) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Argentina | 27 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 – Polisportiva Garegnano | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Serie D |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1982-02-05)5 February 1982 (age 43) Bahía Blanca, Argentina |
| Nationality | Argentine, Spanish |
| Listed height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–present | Polisportiva Garegnano |
Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde (Spanish pronunciation:[roˈðɾiɣopaˈlasjo]; born 5 February 1982) is a former professionalfootballer who played as asecond striker. He is the son ofJosé Ramón Palacio, a historic player ofClub Olimpo during the 1980s.[3] Palacio holds a Spanish passport, allowing him to be counted as anEU player.[4]
At international level, Palacio has represented theArgentina national team at twoFIFA World Cups and aCopa América, winning runner-up medals at the2014 World Cup and the2007 Copa América.
Beyond his qualities as a footballer, Palacio is also known for hisrattailbraid hairstyle.[5][6]
At age 12, he joinedBella Vista de Bahía Blanca's youth academy, and made his first team debut aged 19 in 2001, in aTorneo Argentino B (fourth division) match.[7][8]
Palacio began his professional career as a 20 year old in 2002, when he signed forHuracán de Tres Arroyos of thePrimera B Nacional (second division).[citation needed]
He made his debut on 25 August 2002, in a 2–0 victory againstJuventud Antoniana.[9] Palacio played two years for the club, and left in 2004.[citation needed]
In 2004,Primera División clubBanfield signed Palacio.[10] He spent two seasons at the club, scoring 11 goals in 38 appearances.
In August 2004, he played his first match in a continental competition and scored in a 1–1 draw againstArsenal de Sarandí as part of the2004 Copa Sudamericana.[11] He scored in the second leg as well, but Banfield lost the match 4–3 and were eliminated.
In January 2005, Palacio completed a transfer toBoca Juniors shortly before the2005 Clausura began.[12] He scored his first goal for the club on 18 January, in a 2–0 victory againstIndependiente.[13]
In the2005 Copa Sudamericana, Palacio scored a hat trick in the quarter finals againstSport Club Internacional on 10 November 2005, which ended in a 4–1 for CABJ.[14] He also scored the opening goal in the first leg ofthe finals againstPumas UNAM, contributing greatly to Boca's championship, which was eventually won on penalties.[15] Palacio was the third top scorer with 5 goals, behindBruno Marioni andJorge Quinteros.[16]
In the2006 Recopa Sudamericana, Palacio scored two goals in the first leg and one in the second leg to help Boca beatSão Paulo and win their third Recopa. On 26 April 2007, Palacio scored two goals in a 7–0 demolishing ofClub Bolívar in the2007 Copa Libertadores. On 24 May, he scored the last goal in a 2–0 win overClub Libertad in thequarter-finals.[17] Palacio also scored the opening goal of thefinals 1st leg againstGrêmio, which ended in a 5–0 aggregate win for Boca (2–0 and 3–0). On 16 December, he would score an equalizer to make the score 1–1 againstMilan, although the Italian side eventually won theClub World Cup final 4–2.[18][19][20] Palacio earned the Bronze Ball trophy in the tournament, being ranked as the third best player behind Milan playersClarence Seedorf andKaká respectively. Palacio's performance in the2008 Copa Libertadores helped Boca avoid elimination from the group stage by scoring twice against Mexico'sAtlas in a 3–0 home victory and scoring the third goal in Boca's dramatic 4–3 win against Chile'sColo-Colo. On 7 May 2008, Palacio scored the first goal in a 2–1 second-leg win against Brazilian clubCruzeiro.[21] Boca eventually reached the semi-finals, where they would lose toFluminense 4–1 on aggregate. Despite a minor injury that would see him sidelined for a small portion of the second half of the year, Palacio would then go on to win theRecopa Sudamericana againstArsenal de Sarandí, scoring one goal in the first leg and another goal in the second leg. He later won the2008–09 Torneo Apertura after the title had to be fought out between the top three teams that were equal on points, Boca,San Lorenzo andTigre.[22] The championship play-offs were all held atRacing Club's stadium in a round-robin format and were held in December 2008. Palacio would score in a 3–1 win against San Lorenzo to help claim the title.[23]
In July 2009, Palacio signed a contract with Italian clubGenoa.[24] His debut inSerie A was on 23 August, in a 3–2 win overRoma.[25] On 5 November, he scored his first goal for the club in theUEFA Europa League match againstLille, which ended in a 3–2 victory for Genoa.[26][27] In Serie A, the striker scored his first goal againstParma,[28] the team in which he also scored a double against in the return leg, a 3–2 away win.[29][30] 2 years after his debut, Palacio also entered inCoppa Italia statistics with a brace in a 4–3 win againstAG Nocerina.[31] In the last two weeks of January 2012, Palacio scored two braces: one in a 5–3 loss againstPalermo,[32] and the other in a 3–2 win againstNapoli.[33] On his last appearance for Genoa, the hundredth overall, he received a red card againstUdinese.[34][35]
On 22 May 2012, Genoa presidentEnrico Preziosi confirmed that Palacio would join Inter for the2012–13 season.[36] On 7 June, he was officially sold to Inter for €10.5 million, signing a three-year contract paying the player €2.7 million per year.[37]
Palacio debuted in aUEFA Europa League qualification match againstCroatian sideHajduk Split.[38] He scored his first Inter double in a friendly againstBizertin of Tunisia on 18 August. He then scored his first official goal for Inter on 23 August in the play-off round ofEuropa League qualifiers against Romania'sVaslui.[39] He scored again in the return leg inMilan on 30 August, making the final score 1–1 as Inter progressed to thecompetition's group stage.[40]
He scored his first goal in Serie A for Inter on 21 October in a 2–0 victory at theSan Siro againstCatania.[41] On 4 November, he scored the final goal in a 1–3 win againstdefending league championsJuventus, which ended theBianconeri's 49 game-winning streak.[42] On 8 November, he scored a brace in a Europa League match againstPartizan (1–3) that took Inter into thecompetition's round of 32 with two group stage matches to spare.[43] During asecond round match in theCoppa Italia againstHellas Verona on 18 December, after an injury to goalkeeperLuca Castellazzi and after all three of the club's substitutions were exhausted, Palacio, wearingVid Belec's jersey number 27, was put into goal for the final 15 minutes of the match.[44] He did not concede any goals in a 2–0 win and even made a fine save in the 91st minute, stopping a diving header from Verona midfielderAlessandro Carrozza.[45]
On 14 February 2013, in a match against Romanian sideCFR Cluj in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16, Palacio was substituted in seven minutes into the game after a season-ending injury to starter Diego Milito.[46] Palacio came on and finished the game with both goals scored in a 2–0 victory.[47] On 3 March, against Catania, Palacio was substituted in at the beginning of the second half at a time when theNerazzurri were down 2–0.[48] Palacio went on to provide an assist forRicky Álvarez's goal, then scored twice himself, leading Inter to a 2–3 comeback victory.[49] On 3 April, Palacio scored his second double of the league season againstSampdoria, raising his tally to 12 goals scored; in the same game, however, he strained his left hamstring, ultimately ending his season prematurely.[50][51]
In the first fixture of the season, Palacio scored abrace againstCittadella in the third round of theCoppa Italia.[52]
He also scored in the first league gameof the season, against Genoa on 25 August; his goal came in injury time, giving Inter a 2–0 win,[53] which was followed by another goal and an assist in a 3–0 win againstCatania.[54] On 20 October, Palacio scored twice to give Inter a 3–3 draw againstTorino at theStadio Olimpico,[55] and six days later scored in a 4–2 triumph against recently promoted Hellas Verona at San Siro.[56] On 3 November, Palacio continued his fine form, scoring a header and assisting in a 0–3 away win againstUdinese at theStadio Friuli.[57] On 22 December, he scored a superb goal in the 86th minute with the back of his heel after an assist fromFredy Guarín, which proved to be decisive with Inter winning 1–0 against Milan.[58][59] That was his first competitive goal in theDerby della Madonnina.
On 15 February 2014, Palacio scored his first goal of 2014 after some negative displays during the 2–1 away win againstFiorentina.[60] On 9 March, he scored the winning goal against Torino at the San Siro, givingNerazzurri three important points.[61] Five days later, Palacio signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with Inter which will keep him at the club until 2016.[62][63] One day after he extended his contract, Palacio scored the opening goal and assistedJonathan Moreira's goal in the 2–0 away win against Hellas Verona.[64] Palacio continued with his good appearances by scoring his 15th league goal in the 4–0 thrashing of Sampdoria at theStadio Luigi Ferraris.[65] He also assisted both goals fromMauro Icardi.[66]
On 10 May, inJavier Zanetti's last competitive match at the San Siro in which Inter defeatedLazio 4–1 to secure a place inEuropa League play-off for next season, Palacio scored a brace and in both occasions went to celebrate with Zanetti.[67] He was first assisted byMateo Kovačić and later byYuto Nagatomo. Palacio ended the2013–14 season with 39 appearances (37 in Serie A) and 19 goals (17 in Serie A), finishing as Inter's top goalscorer.
Palacio missed all of the pre-season phase due to his international duties withArgentina at the2014 World Cup. He was not called upon for the first official match of theseason against Icelandic sideStjarnan in the first leg of theplay-off round for theEuropa League, after Inter head coachWalter Mazzarri decided to let him rest.[68] He also did not play in the returning leg as Inter comfortably secured qualification for thegroup stage with an aggregate 9–0 score. After missing the opening match of theSerie A season, Palacio made his first appearance of the season on 14 September, playing the last 14 minutes of the 7–0 thrashing ofSassuolo.[69][70]
On 19 February 2015, Palacio scored two goals in a 3–3 draw vs Celtic, which helped Inter qualify for theround of 16 of the Europa League.[71] In the round of 16 againstWolfsburg, he scored both goals in Inter's 5–2 aggregate loss (3–1 and 2–1).[72][73] He opened the scoring in the final game of the season, a 4–3 win against Empoli.[74] Palacio finished behindMauro Icardi for top scorer with 12 goals, scoring 8 in the league and 4 in the Europa League.
Palacio scored his first goal ofthe season on 15 December 2015 in a 3–0 win overCagliari at the San Siro, moving Inter on from theCoppa Italia's round of 16.[75] On 8 January 2016, he extended his contract with Inter for a further season, keeping him at the club until June 2017.[76][77] He didn't score his first Serie A goal for the season until 24 January 2016, opening the scoring in a 1–1 draw againstCarpi.[78] On 2 March, in a Coppa Italia match against Juventus, Palacio missed a penalty, which contributed to Inter's elimination after tying 3–3 on aggregate and losing 3–5 on penalties.[79][80] Over all it was a subpar season from him, scoring just 3 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions.
On 29 September 2016, he scored Inter's only goal in the 3–1Europa League group stage defeat againstSparta Praha.[81] He scored a goal against his future club Bologna to eliminate them from theCoppa Italia round of 16 with a 3–2 win on 17 January 2017.[82] The Argentine forward played 20 games but only scored 2 goals that season; one in the Europa League, one in the Coppa Italia, and none in Serie A. With his contract lasting until the end of this season, he played his last game for Inter on 28 May 2017.[83][84]
On 17 August 2017, Palacio signed a one-year contract withBologna.[85]
He made his debut in a 1–1 draw vs Torino on 20 August, coming on as a substitute in the 82nd minute forSimone Verdi. He made his first full start on 10 September in a 0–3 loss against Napoli, being substituted off in the 77th minute forBruno Petković.[86] A week later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–2 loss against Fiorentina at theStadio Renato Dall'Ara, this was also the first time he played the full 90 minutes since his arrival in the summer.[87]
On 6 July 2018, Palacio renewed his contract, signing an additional year until 30 June 2019.[88]
Palacio began the season with a muscle injury in training, which ruled him out for 3 weeks.[89][90] He returned to the team on 21 October 2018, in a 2–2 draw against Torino, being subbed off at the 80th minute. In the next game, he scored just 2 minutes into the game in a 2–2 draw at Sassuolo.[91] On 16 March 2019, Palacio assisted Bologna's third goal to help Bologna beat Torino 2–3 inTurin.[92][93]
Palacio renewed his contract again on 4 July 2019, adding another year that will run through 30 June 2020.[94]
Palacio kicked off the season in theCoppa Italia, scoring the last goal in a 0–3 away win atAC Pisa on 18 August 2019.[95] On 15 September, he scored and assistedRiccardo Orsolini's winning goal in a 3–4 victory against Brescia after trailing 3–1 at half-time.[96][97] On 1 February 2020, he assistedMattia Bani's 90th-minute game winner versus Brescia, a 2–1 victory.[98]
On 2 May 2021, Palacio, who had only scored one league goal until then, on the second matchday againstParma, then scored three goals for his first hat-trick in Serie A, including an 84th-minute equalizer to salvage a 3–3 draw withFiorentina, and in doing so at the age of 39 years and 86 days, he not only became theoldest player to achieve this feat in Serie A, breaking the previous record held bySilvio Piola since 1950 (37 years and 51 days),[99] but also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in Europe's top five leagues, breaking the previous record held by La Liga'sJoaquín in 2019 (38 years and 140 days).[100] However, Palacio held the European record for only a couple of months, until December, whenJorge Molina scored a hat-trick in La Liga, aged 39 years and 241 days.[100]
Two weeks later, on 17 May, Palacio scored his fifth league goal of the season, a late equalizer againstHellas Verona.[101]
On 26 September 2022, Palacio retired from professional football and started playing basketball.[102][103]
Palacio played his first match with theArgentina national team on 8 March 2005 in a friendly match againstMexico which ended in a 1–1 draw atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[104] Later that month, on 25 March, he played his first competitive match, a 2–1 away victory in a2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier againstBolivia, with Palacio playing the last eight minutes of the match. He was selected by the coachJosé Pékerman for thefollowing year's World Cup, and was given the shirt number 14. He made his debut in the tournament, entering the pitch in the 64th minute and helping the team win the first match ofGroup C against theIvory Coast in a 2–1 victory.[105] He did not play any more matches until the end of the tournament, with Argentina being eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing 4–2 on penalties (1–1 inextra time) againstGermany.[106][107][108]
Under new Argentina coachAlfio Basile, Palacio was selected for the2007 Copa América and given the shirt number 7. He played his first match of the tournament in the team's last match in Group C againstParaguay, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory at theEstadio Metropolitano de Cabudare.[109] Argentina finished as group winners, beating theUnited States,Colombia and Paraguay. He made his second appearance after playing the last 12 minutes in a 3–0 win against Mexico, securing Argentina's place in the semi-finals of the tournament.[110] In the final, he was an unused substitute as Argentina lost 3–0 torivalsBrazil.[111]
On 15 June 2008, more than three years after his debut with Argentina, Palacio scored his first goal for his country via equalizer in the 93rd minute in a 1–1 draw againstEcuador for the 5th round of2010 World Cup qualification.[112] He played only two matches in 2008, and did not play any minutes for the national team during 2009 and 2010, meaning that he was not included inthe squad for the2010 World Cup by coachDiego Maradona.
After his good form with Genoa during the second part of the 2010–11 season and first part of 2011–12, Palacio received his first call-up by new national team coachAlejandro Sabella for the2014 World Cup qualifying match againstVenezuela.[113] On 11 October 2011, he played his first match for the national team after a three-year absence, entering the field in the final 15 minutes of a 1–0 loss against Venezuela, with defenderFernando Amorebieta scoring the only goal of the match.[114]
After an impressive 2012–13 season with Inter, Palacio became a regular member of the Argentina national team under Sabella. During the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, he played eight matches and assisted several goals that helped Argentina finish first place in its group with 32 points.[115] He scored his second goal for Argentina on 11 October 2013, scoring the third goal in the 3–1 victory againstPeru in round 17 of the qualifiers.[116]
Palacio's good form continued in 2014, scoring the opening goal of the match after a corner kick taken byÁngel Di María on 4 June in a 3–0 win againstTrinidad and Tobago.[117][118] Later in that match, he made a good run by dribbling the goalkeeper and assisted the third goal of the match scored by wingerEzequiel Lavezzi.[119][120] After playing another friendly match againstSlovenia, the team traveled toBrazil to play in the2014 World Cup; he was included on thelist of 23 players selected by coach Alejandro Sabella to participate.[121] Notably he received a brilliant opportunity to score in thefinal against Germany during the 7th minute of extra time, when he received an exceptional pass fromMarcos Rojo and controlled it with his chest, which left him one-on-one with the keeper, but his attempt to lob the ball overManuel Neuer missed the goal completely.[122] After the match, a phrase that said "Era por abajo, Palacio" (It was through the bottom, Palacio) became viral.[123]
On 8 September 2014, at the age of 32, Palacio retired from international football, saying that there are better players to take his spot on the national team.[citation needed]
Palacio has a daughter.[124] His father,José Ramón Palacio, was also a footballer.[3]
Palacio is a diminutive, tactically intelligent, and technically gifted player, with an eye for goal.[125][126][127] A versatile and creative forward, he is capable of playing in several offensive positions, and has been deployed as astriker, as asecond striker, and as awinger.[125][128] In addition to his skills, he is also known for his defensive work-rate.[129][130]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Huracán | 2002–03 | Primera B Nacional | 34 | 7 | — | — | — | 34 | 7 | |||
| 2003–04 | Primera B Nacional | 19 | 8 | — | — | — | 19 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 15 | — | — | — | 53 | 15 | |||||
| Banfield | 2003–04 | Argentine Primera División | 19 | 2 | — | 2[b] | 2 | — | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | Argentine Primera División | 17 | 7 | — | — | — | 17 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 9 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 38 | 11 | ||||
| Boca Juniors | 2004–05 | Argentine Primera División | 15 | 3 | — | 7[c] | 2 | — | 22 | 5 | ||
| 2005–06 | Argentine Primera División | 32 | 17 | — | 7[b] | 5 | 2[d] | 0 | 41 | 22 | ||
| 2006–07 | Argentine Primera División | 33 | 19 | — | 12[e] | 6 | 2[d] | 3 | 47 | 28 | ||
| 2007–08 | Argentine Primera División | 31 | 10 | — | 13[f] | 4 | 2[g] | 1 | 46 | 15 | ||
| 2008–09 | Argentine Primera División | 20 | 5 | — | 7[c] | 5 | 2[d] | 2 | 29 | 12 | ||
| Total | 131 | 54 | — | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 185 | 82 | |||
| Genoa | 2009–10 | Serie A | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6[h] | 1 | — | 37 | 8 | |
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 27 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 9 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 32 | 19 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 34 | 21 | |||
| Total | 90 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | 100 | 38 | |||
| Inter Milan | 2012–13 | Serie A | 26 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 10[h] | 8 | — | 39 | 22 | |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 37 | 17 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 19 | |||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6[h] | 4 | — | 41 | 12 | ||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 3 | |||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3[h] | 1 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Total | 140 | 39 | 10 | 6 | 19 | 13 | — | 169 | 58 | |||
| Bologna | 2017–18 | Serie A | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 35 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 8 | |||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 5 | |||
| Total | 127 | 19 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 132 | 20 | ||||
| Brescia | 2021–22 | Serie B | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[i] | 0 | 33 | 6 | |
| Career total | 607 | 177 | 19 | 9 | 73 | 38 | 11 | 6 | 710 | 230 | ||
.jpg)
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2005 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 27 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 June 2008 | Estadio Monumental,Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Ecuador | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 11 October 2013 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Peru | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4 June 2014 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Boca Juniors[134]
Argentina
Individual
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
