Exequiel Palacios, an Argentina midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen, said he was close to a move to Real Madrid while he was playing for River Plate.
In an interview with brandThe world champion with the Argentina national team in Qatar 2022 pointed out that the merengue were looking for him before making the leap to Europe: “The people of Real Madrid.” He came to examine me, but in the end, he didn’t show up because of an injury. I’m a guy who always wants more, so I guess if it didn’t happen, there was a reason. I’m on the right track, and it’s up to me to go far.”
Despite failing to reach the White House, the 24-year-old from Tucumán did play one game, or more specifically, a final, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium: the 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores final against Boca Juniors.
“It was crazy. From Argentina, they took us to Spain, and it was a week of excitement similar to what we experienced in the World Cup final.” Every time I travel to Argentina, the people of River remind me of that. Every time there’s a Superclásico, the country is paralyzed, said the native of Famaillá.
In addition, Pala said he was “happy” with River’s league tournament title as he is a fan of the club and still has teammates, and also appreciated being able to visit Monumental Stadium during his vacation.
THE THIRD STAR
After crowning himself at the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 Finalissima, Palacios won the most important title of his career on Qatari soil: the World Cup.
About this consecration, he pointed out: “The World Cup will be a lasting memory for me and my whole family. I have two memories. The first is my debut against Mexico. Debuting at a World Cup when I was young brought back all my childhood memories and all the hardships I went through to get here. The second is the last penalty in the final, scored by Montiel. Well, it caused quite a stir across the country; we took care of everything”.
Referring to the euphoric celebrations of the Argentine people, Palacios noted that the troupe arrived in the country at 4 a.m. and “the people were like locals,” which he took as “incredible.”
HIS GIFT IN XABI ALONSOS BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Bayer Leverkusen paid River around $20 million in early 2020 to transfer Palacios, who had played 87 games, scored 10 goals, shared 11 assists, and won 7 titles with the red ribbon, playing a key role in several of them.
Since arriving in German football, Exe has accumulated the same number of appearances as with the Roten Banden, with 8 goals and 5 passes, but it was only in the 2021/22 season that he established himself in the Rhein-Ruhr side.
Speaking of his fifth season in the Bundesliga, Tucu said: “We have the advantage of starting from the start with Xabi, who came in mid-last season. The coach already knows us, and we are working on different systems: three-man and four-man defense.” , out of five”.
In addition, referring to the former Spanish midfielder, he stressed that he is “a coach who lives football with passion”, that he “lives every training session as if it were his last” and that “he tries to get the best out of everyone and get players out anytime”.
“We always talk about tactics with Xabi. I try to listen to him and use every conversation we have because he trusted me from the first minute, and I want to repay him with good performances on the pitch. When he talks, I’m all ears. “I want to improve in everything,” concluded Palacios.
The 2018 Ideal Team of America member, who is looking forward to improving his level “to always be available for calls from Argentina”, intends to keep building his hitting rate and reflects on how important it is to him To have won the world championship these days.
“I think winning the World Cup changed my mentality. He reminded me to play every three days. Now I’m used to it, and I feel stronger. In other seasons, I haven’t been able to develop my best game because of injuries, but I take great care of myself to do my best,” he concluded, who also appreciated the arrival of Granit Xhaka, whom he described as “a great player”. Kept players, mentally very strong and experienced, with an incredible career at Arsenal,” to Bayer Leverkusen.
