Exequiel Alejandro Palacios (; born 5 October 1998) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Ipswich Town and the Argentina national team.
Club career River Plate
Palacios is a youth exponent from River Plate. He made his league debut on 8 November 2015 against Newell's Old Boys.
On 9 December 2018, Palacios won 2018 Copa Libertadores with River Plate. He played eleven matches including the finals against rivals Boca Juniors.
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.
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.
On 14 April 2024, Bayer Leverkusen won 2023–24 Bundesliga and Palacios was a member of the team. On 25 May, Leverkusen defeated 1. FC Kaiserslautern 1–0 in the DFB-Pokal final to complete the first domestic double in the club's history.
Ipswich Town On 27 August 2026, Palacios signed for newly-promoted Premier League club Ipswich Town, on a four-year contract worth €22.5m (£19.2m).
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.
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 Ángel 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.
On 11 June 2021, Palacios was named by coach Lionel Scaloni in Argentina's 28-man squad for the 2021 Copa América. A month later, on 10 July, he played as a second-half substitute in Argentina's 1–0 victory over Brazil in the Copa América final. 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. Argentina went on to defeat France on penalties in the final, with Palacios included in the squad as Argentina won their third World Cup title.
Palacios was a member of the Argentina squads for the 2024 Copa América and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals River Plate2015Argentine Primera División1000—0000102016Argentine Primera División10——00—102016–17Argentine Primera División8011—00—912017–18Argentine Primera División9230—10—1322018–19Argentine Primera División14192—111403842019–20Argentine Primera División15162—90—303Total484195—211409210Bayer Leverkusen2019–20Bundesliga3020—20—702020–21Bundesliga9020—20—1302021–22Bundesliga23220—71—3232022–23Bundesliga25410—81—3452023–24Bundesliga24432—90—3662024–25Bundesliga24140—100003812025–26Bundesliga18020—50—2502026–27Bundesliga—10———10Total12611172—4320018615Ipswich Town2026–27Premier League400000——40Career total17815367006434028225
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsArgentina2018202019202020202021110202260202350202440202550202660Total430
Honours River Plate Copa Argentina: 2016–17, 2018–19 Copa Libertadores: 2018 Recopa Sudamericana: 2019
Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga: 2023–24 DFB-Pokal: 2023–24; runner-up: 2019–20 DFL-Supercup: 2024 UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2023–24 Argentina FIFA World Cup: 2022; runner-up: 2026 Copa América: 2021, 2024 CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
References
External links