Rodrigo Palacio facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Palacio and the second or maternal family name is Alcalde.

Quick facts for kids
Rodrigo Palacio

Palacio in 2017

Personal information

Date of birth

5 February 1982 (age 43)

Place of birth

Bahía Blanca, Argentina

Height

1.76 m

Playing position

Second striker

Youth career

1990–2002

Bella Vista

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2002–2004

Huracán de Tres Arroyos

(15)

2004–2005

Banfield

(9)

2005–2009

Boca Juniors

131

(54)

2009–2012

Genoa

(35)

2012–2017

Inter Milan

140

(39)

2017–2021

Bologna

127

(19)

2021–2022

Brescia

(6)

Total

607

(177)

National team

2005–2014

Argentina

(3)

Honours

FIFA World Cup

Representing Argentina
	2014 Brazil
Copa América
	2007 Venezuela

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Rodrigo Palacio
No. 4 – Polisportiva Garegnano
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1982-02-05) February 5, 1982 (age 43) Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Nationality	Argentine, Spanish
Listed height	1.76 m (5 ft 9.29 in)
Career information
Pro career	2022–present
League	Serie D
Career history
2022–present	Polisportiva Garegnano

Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde (born 5 February 1982) is a famous Argentine athlete. He is known for his amazing career as a professional footballer. After retiring from football, he started playing basketball professionally.

Rodrigo is the son of José Ramón Palacio, who was also a well-known football player in the 1980s. Rodrigo has a Spanish passport, which means he could play as an EU player in Europe.

He played for the Argentine national team in two FIFA World Cups and one Copa América. He helped his team win second place in the 2014 World Cup and the 2007 Copa América.

Besides his football skills, Rodrigo Palacio is also famous for his unique rattail braid hairstyle.

Football Career Highlights

Starting His Journey in Football

Rodrigo Palacio started playing football at a young age. When he was 12, he joined the youth team of Bella Vista de Bahía Blanca. He played his first game for the main team at 17 in 2002.

Later in 2002, at age 20, he began his professional career. He signed with Huracán de Tres Arroyos, a team in Argentina's second division. He played there for two years before moving on.

Playing for Banfield

In 2004, Rodrigo joined Banfield, a top-division club in Argentina. He played two seasons with them, scoring 11 goals in 38 games. He also played in his first international club competition, the 2004 Copa Sudamericana, scoring two goals.

Success with Boca Juniors

In January 2005, Palacio moved to one of Argentina's biggest clubs, Boca Juniors. He quickly became a key player.

Winning the Copa Sudamericana: In 2005, he scored three goals in a quarter-final match against Sport Club Internacional. He also scored in the final, helping Boca win the 2005 Copa Sudamericana.
Recopa Sudamericana Wins: He helped Boca win the 2006 Recopa Sudamericana by scoring two goals in the first game and one in the second. They won the Recopa again in 2008.
Copa Libertadores Champion: In 2007, Palacio scored important goals in the 2007 Copa Libertadores. He scored in the final, helping Boca Juniors win this major South American title.
FIFA Club World Cup: In 2007, Boca Juniors played in the Club World Cup final against AC Milan. Palacio scored a goal, and he won the Bronze Ball award as the third-best player in the tournament.
League Title: He also helped Boca win the 2008–09 Torneo Apertura league title.

Moving to Italy with Genoa

In July 2009, Rodrigo Palacio moved to Italy to play for Genoa in Serie A, Italy's top league. He made his debut in August and scored his first goal for the club in a UEFA Europa League match. He played 100 games for Genoa, scoring 38 goals.

Time at Internazionale

On 22 May 2012, Palacio joined Inter Milan, another big Italian club. He signed a three-year contract.

First Season (2012–13)

Palacio celebrating with Ezequiel Schelotto.

Palacio started strong at Inter. He scored his first official goal in a Europa League qualifier. He scored his first Serie A goal for Inter in October. A funny moment happened in December 2012 during a Coppa Italia match. After Inter's goalkeeper got injured and they had no more substitutions, Palacio played the last 15 minutes as a goalkeeper! He didn't let in any goals. He ended the season with 22 goals in all competitions.

Second Season (2013–14)

Palacio with Ignazio Abate in the Milan derby

Palacio continued his great form. He scored in the first league game of the season. On 22 December, he scored a fantastic goal against Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, which Inter won 1–0. He signed a new contract with Inter in March 2014. He finished the season as Inter's top scorer with 19 goals.

Later Seasons (2014–17)

Palacio missed the start of the 2014–15 season because he was playing for Argentina in the World Cup. He scored important goals in the Europa League, helping Inter reach the knockout stages. He scored 12 goals that season. In the 2015–16 season, he extended his contract but scored fewer goals. In his last season, 2016–17, he scored only two goals. He played his last game for Inter in May 2017.

Playing for Bologna

New Team, New Goals (2017–21)

On 17 August 2017, Palacio joined Bologna. He quickly scored his first goal for the club a week after his debut. He renewed his contract several times, staying with Bologna until 2021.

In the 2019–20 season, he scored in the Coppa Italia and made important assists in league games.

Oldest Hat-Trick Scorer (2020–21)

On 2 May 2021, at 39 years and 86 days old, Palacio scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Fiorentina. This made him the oldest player ever to score a hat-trick in Serie A. He also became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in Europe's top five leagues at that time.

Retirement from Football

After a short time playing for Brescia in the 2021–22 season, Rodrigo Palacio officially retired from professional football on 26 September 2022. He then began a new sports journey by playing professional basketball.

International Football Career

Rodrigo Palacio at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final against Germany.

Palacio played for the Argentine national team from 2005 to 2014.

First Matches: He played his first game for Argentina in March 2005.
2006 FIFA World Cup: He was chosen for the 2006 World Cup. He played one match in the group stage, helping Argentina win.
2007 Copa América: He was part of the team that reached the final of the 2007 Copa América. Argentina finished as runners-up.
First International Goal: On 15 June 2008, he scored his first goal for Argentina in a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.
Return to the National Team: After a few years away, he returned to the national team in 2011.
2014 FIFA World Cup: Palacio was a key player for Argentina in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. He scored important goals and helped Argentina finish first in their group. He was selected for the World Cup squad in Brazil. In the final against Germany, he had a chance to score in extra time but missed. Argentina lost the final, finishing as runners-up.

On 8 September 2014, at 32 years old, Palacio decided to retire from international football.

Personal Life

Rodrigo Palacio has a daughter. His father, José Ramón Palacio, was also a professional footballer.

Playing Style

Palacio is known for being a clever and skilled player. He can play in different attacking positions, like a main striker, a second striker, or a winger. He is good at scoring goals and also works hard to help his team defend.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Continental		Other		Total
Club	Season	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	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	2	—		22	5
	2005–06	Argentine Primera División	32	17	—		7	5	2	0	41	22
	2006–07	Argentine Primera División	33	19	—		12	6	2	3	47	28
	2007–08	Argentine Primera División	31	10	—		13	4	2	1	46	15
	2008–09	Argentine Primera División	20	5	—		7	5	2	2	29	12
	Total		131	54	—		46	22	8	6	185	82
Genoa	2009–10	Serie A	31	7	0	0	6	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	8	—		39	22
	2013–14	Serie A	37	17	2	2	—		—		39	19
	2014–15	Serie A	35	8	0	0	6	4	—		41	12
	2015–16	Serie A	27	2	3	1	—		—		30	3
	2016–17	Serie A	15	0	2	1	3	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	0	33	6
Career total			607	177	19	9	73	38	11	6	710	230

International

Rodrigo Palacio playing for Inter.

Appearances and goals by national team and year
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

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Palacio goal.

List of international goals scored by Rodrigo Palacio
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