1. Overview
Exequiel Alejandro Palacios (Exequiel Alejandro Palacioseks-ay-kee-el pal-ah-see-osSpanish) is an Argentine professional footballer who primarily plays as a central midfielder. He is currently a key player for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and an integral part of the Argentina national team. His career has been marked by significant successes at both club and international levels, including winning the Copa Libertadores with River Plate and the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, as well as securing the FIFA World Cup and multiple Copa América titles with Argentina.
2. Early Life and Background
Exequiel Alejandro Palacios was born on October 5, 1998, in Famaillá, a city located in the Tucumán Province of Argentina. He is of indigenous Argentinian heritage.
2.1. Childhood and Youth Career
Palacios developed an early passion for football and began his foundational training within the youth system of Club Atlético River Plate, one of Argentina's most prominent football clubs. His dedication and talent propelled him through the academy ranks, preparing him for a professional career. He represented Argentina at the youth level, participating in the 2015 South American U-17 Championship and the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup with the Argentina U-17 national team, and later featured in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup with the U-20 squad.
3. Club Career
Exequiel Palacios's professional club career began at River Plate, where he rose through the youth ranks to become a first-team player, before making a significant move to European football with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
3.1. River Plate
Palacios made his professional league debut for Club Atlético River Plate on November 8, 2015, in a match against Newell's Old Boys. His time at River Plate was highly successful, culminating in the team's victory in the 2018 Copa Libertadores on December 9, 2018. During this campaign, Palacios played in 11 matches, including the crucial finals against fierce rivals Boca Juniors. His impressive performances in 2018 earned him a spot in the 2018 South American Team of the Year. He also contributed to River Plate winning the Copa Argentina in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons, and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2019. Palacios made his final appearance for his boyhood club in the final of the 2018-19 Copa Argentina on December 13, 2019, playing 79 minutes of a decisive 3-0 victory over Central Córdoba.
3.2. Bayer Leverkusen
On December 16, 2019, German club Bayer Leverkusen officially announced that Palacios would join their squad on January 1, 2020, after signing a five-and-a-half-year contract. He quickly adapted to the Bundesliga, becoming a vital component of the team's midfield.
In the 2022-23 season, Palacios demonstrated his scoring ability by netting two penalty goals in a single match against Bayern Munich on March 20, 2023, during the 25th round of the Bundesliga. This performance made him the second player in Bayer Leverkusen's history to score two penalty goals in one game, following in the footsteps of Dimitar Berbatov. These goals also marked a personal record for Palacios, bringing his season total to three in the Bundesliga.
His contributions were instrumental in Bayer Leverkusen's historic 2023-24 Bundesliga title win, which they clinched on April 14, 2024, marking the club's first-ever Bundesliga championship. Palacios was also part of the squad that won the 2023-24 DFB-Pokal and the 2024 DFL-Supercup. Additionally, he played a significant role as Bayer Leverkusen reached the final of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League, finishing as runner-up in that competition.
4. International Career
Exequiel Palacios has proudly represented Argentina at various levels, from youth teams to the senior squad, participating in major international tournaments and experiencing both triumphs and setbacks.
He made his senior international debut for the Argentina national team on September 8, 2018, in a 3-0 international friendly match against the Guatemala national team.
On November 12, 2020, during a World Cup qualifier against Paraguay that ended in a 1-1 draw, Palacios suffered a fractured bone in his spine. The injury occurred during an aerial duel with Angel Romero in the first half of the match, played at La Bombonera. He was subsequently replaced by Giovani Lo Celso and was expected to be sidelined for three months.
Despite this setback, Palacios recovered to feature in key international tournaments. On July 10, 2021, he appeared as a second-half substitute in Argentina's 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Copa América final, contributing to Argentina's triumph. His international success continued as he was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, he made appearances in the group stage win against Mexico (2-0), the round of 16 victory over Australia (2-1), and the semi-final triumph against Croatia (3-0). In June 2024, Palacios was again included in Lionel Scaloni's final 26-man Argentina squad for the 2024 Copa América, which Argentina went on to win.
5. Personal Life
Exequiel Palacios's personal life has, at times, attracted significant media attention, particularly in August 2018, when reports from Argentine media, including the newspaper Olé, suggested that his off-field conduct garnered more attention than his professional football career.
During this period, Palacios's public relationship with Instagram model Sol Pérez became widely known. However, it soon emerged that while dating Pérez, Palacios had also begun a relationship with Juliana Orellano, an amateur actress, singer, and dancer. Both Pérez and Orellano quickly ended their relationships with Palacios upon discovering that he was simultaneously dating both of them, leading to considerable public drama. Further revelations followed on August 21, when it was reported that Palacios had also been in a four-year relationship with Karen Gramajo, a nail technician and a long-time friend from his neighborhood. This intricate web of relationships led all three women to publicly express their anger and frustration at Palacios's perceived disloyalty through social media.
6. Career Statistics
This section presents comprehensive statistical data for Exequiel Palacios's professional career, including his appearances and goals for both club and international competitions.
6.1. Club Statistics
As of match played February 15, 2025.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2016-17 | Argentine Primera División | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2017-18 | Argentine Primera División | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2018-19 | Argentine Primera División | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 4 | |
| 2019-20 | Argentine Primera División | 15 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 0 | - | 30 | 3 | ||
| Total | 48 | 4 | 19 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 92 | 10 | ||
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2019-20 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Bundesliga | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | - | 32 | 3 | ||
| 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 25 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | - | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 24 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 0 | - | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2024-25 | Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Total | 99 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 15 | ||
| Career total | 147 | 15 | 32 | 7 | 57 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 25 | ||
6.2. International Statistics
As of match played October 15, 2024.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 0 | |
7. Honours
This section lists all significant team and individual awards and titles that Exequiel Palacios has earned throughout his professional career.
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
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2023-24
- DFL-Supercup: 2024
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- Copa América: 2021, 2024
- CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022