Exequiel Palacios
{{short description|Argentine footballer (born 1998)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Exequiel Palacios
| full_name = Exequiel Alejandro Palacios{{cite web |title=Exequiel Alejandro Palacios News & Career |url=https://www.copalibertadores.com/en/player/e-palacios/6rg37ej1x7pwi7r4aq1107pih |publisher=Copa Libertadores |access-date=26 December 2019}}
| image = Exequiel Palacios, 2022-07-31, Saisoneröffnung Bayer 04, Leverkusen (1).jpg
| caption = Palacios with Bayer Leverkusen in 2022
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|10|5}}
| birth_place = Famaillá, Tucumán, Argentina
| position = Central midfielder
| currentclub = Bayer Leverkusen
| clubnumber = 25
| youthyears1 = {{0}}{{0}}{{0}}{{0}}–2015
| youthclubs1 = River Plate
| clubs1 = River Plate
| years1 = 2015–2020
| caps1 = 48
| goals1 = 4
| clubs2 = Bayer Leverkusen
| years2 = 2020–
| caps2 = 108
| goals2 = 11
| nationalyears1 = 2015
| nationalteam1 = Argentina U17
| nationalcaps1 = 10
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 2017
| nationalteam2 = Argentina U20
| nationalcaps2 = 3
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2018–
| nationalteam3 = Argentina
| nationalcaps3 = 36
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{fb|ARG}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|FIFA World Cup}}
{{Medal|Winner|2022 Qatar|}}
{{MedalCompetition|Copa América}}
{{Medal|W|2021 Brazil|}}
{{Medal|Winner|2024 United States|}}
{{MedalComp|CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions}}
{{Medal|W|2022 England|}}
| club-update = 23:20, 17 May 2025 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update = 03:50, 11 June 2025 (UTC)
}}
Exequiel Alejandro Palacios ({{IPA|es|ekseˈkjel paˈla.sjos}}; born 5 October 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Argentina national team.
Club career
= River Plate =
Palacios is a youth exponent from Club Atlético River Plate. He made his league debut on 8 November 2015 against Newell's Old Boys.{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2015/11/08/argentina/primera-division/club-atletico-river-plate/newell-s-old-boys/1978582/|title=River Plate vs. Newell's Old Boys – 8 November 2015 – Soccerway|publisher=soccerway.com|access-date=2 December 2015}}
On 9 December 2018 Palacios won 2018 Copa Libertadores with River Plate. He played 11 matches including the finals against rivals Boca Juniors.{{cite web |last1=Lowe |first1=Sid |title=River Plate claim Copa Libertadores against 10-man Boca with Quintero goal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/09/copa-libertadores-final-river-plate-boca-juniors-match-report |website=The Guardian |publisher=The Guardian |access-date=15 April 2024}}
Palacios was part of 2018 South American Team of the Year.
Palacios made his final appearance for his boyhood club in the final of the Copa Argentina on 13 December 2019, playing 79 minutes of a 3–0 victory over Central Córdoba.{{cite web|url=https://www.copaargentina.org/es/partido/3274_Central-Cordoba-SdE-vs-River.html|title=Central Córdoba (SdE) 0-3 River|website=Copa Argentina|date=13 December 2019|access-date=3 January 2020|language=es}}
= Bayer Leverkusen =
On 16 December 2019, Bayer Leverkusen announced that Palacios would join the club on 1 January 2020, signing a five-and-a-half-year deal.{{cite web |title=Bayer 04 sign Exequiel Palacios |url=https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/news/bayer04/bayer-04-sign-exequiel-palacios |website=Bayer Leverkusen |access-date=16 December 2019 |date=16 December 2019}}
On 14 April 2024, Bayer Leverkusen won 2023–24 Bundesliga and Palacios was a member of the team.{{cite web |title=Exequiel Palacios – Centrocampista Bayer 04 |url=https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/player/werkself/bayer-04-leverkusen/exequiel-palacios#profile |website=Exequiel Palacios – Midfield Bayer 04 |access-date=15 April 2024}}
International career
Palacios made his international debut for Argentina on 8 September 2018 in a 3–0 international friendly against the Guatemala national football team.{{Cite web|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2018/09/08/world/friendlies/argentina/guatemala/2805437/|title = Argentina vs. Guatemala - 8 September 2018 - Soccerway}}
On 12 November 2020, Palacios fractured a bone in his spine during a 1–1 draw with Paraguay in a World Cup qualifier and was expected be out for three months. Palacios sustained the injury in an aerial duel with Angel Romero in the first half of the contest at La Bombonera and was replaced by Giovani Lo Celso, who took the corner from which Nicolas Gonzalez headed home Argentina's equaliser.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup-qualifying-conmebol/story/4234050/argentinas-palacios-suffers-fractured-spine-following-aerial-challenge|title=Argentina's Palacios suffers fractured spine following aerial challenge|website=ESPN|date=13 November 2020|access-date=13 November 2020}}
On 10 July 2021, Palacios played as a second-half substitute in Argentina's 1–0 victory over Brazil in the Copa América final.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/jul/10/argentina-v-brazil-copa-america-final-live |title=Argentina 1–0 Brazil |publisher=The Guardian |date=11 July 2021 }} During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Palacios featured in a 2–0 win over Mexico in the group stage phase, a 2–1 victory over Australia in the round of 16, and a 3–0 win over Croatia in their semi-finals.{{cite web |url=https://www.bayer04.de/en-us/news/bayer04/world-cup-winner-palacios-grateful-to-everybody-at-bayer-04 |title=World Cup winner Palacios: 'Grateful to everybody at Bayer 04' |publisher=Bayer 04 Leverkusen |date=3 January 2023 }}
In June 2024, Palacios was included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América.{{Cite news |date=15 June 2024 |title=Lionel Scaloni dio a conocer la lista de la Selección argentina para la Copa América 2024 |url=https://tn.com.ar/deportes/futbol/2024/06/15/lionel-scaloni-dio-a-conocer-la-lista-de-la-seleccion-argentina-para-la-copa-america-2024/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwqf20BhBwEiwAt7dtdeK13_I24H4iqEBua7UtmDLn6_x-FfDm-gzEseLS8vJCnOlmjC3PlBoCHEwQAvD_BwE |access-date=23 July 2024 |work=Todo Noticias}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 17 May 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/exequiel-palacios/398818/|title=E. Palacios|website=Soccerway|access-date=3 January 2020}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes Copa Argentina, DFB-Pokal}} !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="7"|River Plate
|2015 |1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2016
|Argentine Primera División |1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17
|Argentine Primera División |8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18
|Argentine Primera División |9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1{{efn|name=COL|Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19
|Argentine Primera División |14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 11{{efn|name=COL}} | 1 | 4{{efn|Two appearances in Recopa Sudamericana, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup}} | 0 | 38 | 4 | |
| 2019–20
|Argentine Primera División |15 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9{{efn|name=COL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 30 | 3 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!48 | 4 | 19 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 92 | 10 | |
| rowspan="7"|Bayer Leverkusen
|3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21
|Bundesliga |9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2{{efn|name=UEL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22
|Bundesliga |23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7{{efn|name=UEL}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 32 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23
|Bundesliga |25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8{{efn|Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2023–24
|Bundesliga |24 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9{{efn|name=UEL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25
|Bundesliga |24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10{{efn|Appearances in UEFA Champions League}} | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!108 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 160 | 15 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!156 | 15 | 33 | 7 | 59 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 252 | 25 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|match played 10 June 2025}}{{NFT player|71799|name=Palacios, Exequiel|access-date=26 December 2019}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals | ||
| rowspan="8"|Argentina
|2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 | 0 |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 |
| colspan="2"|Total | 36 | 0 |
|---|
Honours
- Copa Argentina: 2016–17, 2018–19
- Copa Libertadores: 2018{{cite web|url=http://estadisticas.conmebol.com/html/v3/index.html?channel=deportes.futbol.libertadores.425071&lang=es_LA|title=COPA LIBERTADORES 2019|website=CONMEBOL|date=9 December 2018|access-date=5 December 2019|language=es}}
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2019{{cite web|url=http://estadisticas.conmebol.com/html/v3/index.html?channel=deportes.futbol.recopa.460878&lang=es_LA|title=RECOPA SUDAMERICANA 2019|website=CONMEBOL|date=30 May 2019|access-date=5 December 2019|language=es}}
- Bundesliga: 2023–24{{cite news |date=15 April 2024 |title=Bayer Leverkusen are 2023/24 Bundesliga champions! |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/bayer-leverkusen-are-2023-24-bundesliga-champions-26930 |access-date=15 April 2024 |publisher=Bundesliga}}
- DFB-Pokal: 2023–24; runner-up: 2019–20
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2023–24{{cite news |date=22 May 2024 |title=Atalanta 3-0 Leverkusen: Lookman treble brings UEFA Europa League glory to Bergamo |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/028d-1af3bf5e7e68-7d9202792002-1000--atalanta-3-0-leverkusen-lookman-treble-brings-uefa-europ/ |access-date=23 May 2024 |website=UEFA |publisher=Union of European Football Associations}}
- DFL-Supercup: 2024{{Cite web |date=17 August 2024 |title=Bayer Leverkusen battle back to beat VfB Stuttgart on penalties in Supercup |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/bayer-leverkusen-vfb-stuttgart-supercup-preview-live-blog-report-alonso-28479 |access-date=17 August 2024 |website=Bundesliga |language=en}}
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Scott |date=18 December 2022 |title=Argentina beat France on penalties after thrilling World Cup final – live reaction |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2022/dec/18/argentina-france-world-cup-2022-final-live |access-date=18 December 2022 |work=The Guardian}}
- Copa América: 2021,{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2021/jul/10/argentina-v-brazil-copa-america-final-live |title=Argentina 1-0 Brazil: Copa América final – live! |work=The Guardian |last1=Graham |first1=Bryan Armen |date=11 July 2021 |access-date=11 July 2021 }} 2024{{cite news|url=https://copaamerica.com/en/news/argentina-champion-colombia-copa-america-lautaro-martinez|title=Argentina defeats Colombia to Become The Champion of CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™|website=Copa América|date=15 July 2024|access-date=15 July 2024}}
- CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/61653337|title=Italy 0–3 Argentina: Messi and Di Maria shine in impressive Finalissima win|publisher=BBC Sport|date=1 June 2022|access-date=2 June 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Soccerway}}
{{Bayer 04 Leverkusen squad}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Argentina squads
| bg = white
| fg = #0074E7
| bordercolor = black
| list1 =
{{Argentina squad 2021 Copa América}}
{{Argentina squad 2022 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 2024 Copa América}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list =
{{2018 South American Team of the Year}}
{{2023–24 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palacios, Exequiel}}
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Argentine men's footballers
Category:Argentina men's international footballers
Category:Argentina men's youth international footballers
Category:Argentina men's under-20 international footballers
Category:2021 Copa América players
Category:2022 FIFA World Cup players
Category:2024 Copa América players
Category:FIFA World Cup–winning players
Category:Copa América–winning players
Category:Club Atlético River Plate footballers
Category:Bayer 04 Leverkusen players
Category:Argentine Primera División players
Category:Copa Libertadores–winning players
Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany