Rodrigo Palacio made history when his team held Fiorentina to a draw on last year, 2nd May. Palacio scored a hat-trick in that match and saved Bologna from defeat. He scored a hat-trick with one header and two right-footed strikes. These three goals took him to break the record as the oldest hat-trick scorer in Serie A. Palacio scored a hat-trick at the age of 39 years 86 days. He broke the record previously held by Silvio Piola, the legendary striker who played for Lazio and Juventus. Piola last scored a hat-trick at the age of 37 years and 51 days for Novara against Lazio on 19 November 1950. This record was almost 71 years old until Palacio broke it.
At the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, they trailed Fiorentina twice via goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Giacomo Bonaventura. Palacio’s goals brought I Rossoblu to secure a point. The former Inter Milan striker’s three goals were also important for Bologna. They managed to prevent La Viola, rivals in staying away from the relegation zone, from taking full points.
The success of getting one point further secures Sinisa Mihajlovic’s team from the threat of relegation. Until giornata 34, after holding Fiorentina to a draw, Bologna managed to collect 39 points, eight points ahead of Benevento in 18th place. Now, I Rossoblu are safe from the threat of relegation. With one game remaining, their points score is impossible to catch Benevento. The hat-trick moment confirmed Palacio’s endurance in undergoing a professional football career. As a centre-forward, he proved that he can still score goals. Even though he will turn four in February next year, the Argentine can still play in Europe’s top leagues.
Rodrigo Palacio has been in Italy for the last 12 years. He moved to Genoa in 2009. At that time, he was 26 years old. Palacio spent most of his early career with Argentine giants Boca Juniors. The player who was born in Bahia Blanca started his professional career at Huracan des Tres Arroyos. At Huracan, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Jose Ramon Palacio, who played for the club from 1967-1978.
The talent of the game brought Palacio to move to Banfield then Boca Juniors. With Boca, he won three Argentine League titles, two Apertura titles and one Clausura in 2006, 2007, and 2009. In 2006/07, he became the Apertura’s top scorer with 12 goals. Together with Palacio, Boca also made an impressive appearance in the continental event. They won the Copa Sudamericana trophy in 2005/06 and the Copa Libertadores in 2006/07. Boca have also won three Recopa Sudamericana titles — a UEFA Super Cup-like tournament for the CONMEBOL confederation.
Winning the Copa Libertadores in 2007 made Boca eligible to appear in the Club World Cup. It was in this competition that Palacio’s gait attracted the attention of the European public. In the semifinals, he helped the club beat CAF representative, Etoile du Sahel. Boca also qualified for the final to face AC Milan.
At that time, AC Milan won the Champions League and was still strengthened by Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, and Clarence Seedorf. Competing in Yokohama, Boca, who was left behind earlier, had equalized thanks to Palacio’s action. However, the Rossoneri finally won the match with a score of 4-2. At the end of the tournament, Rodrigo Palacio was named the third best player behind the Milan duo, Kaka and Clarence Seedorf.
Since moving to Genoa, Palacio has been able to adapt to Serie A and has performed well. In the 2011/12 season, he scored 19 goals from 32 league games. His impressive performance made him recruited by Inter Milan with a dowry of 10.5 million euros. Palacio’s name began to be widely known since defending il Nerazzurri. Not only because of his ability, Palacio is also highlighted for his quirky hairstyle.
At first glance, Palacio’s hairstyle looks ordinary. His hair is short like many other footballers. However, from the almost bald head, there was a strand of hair that dangled at the back. The strands of his hair were thin and resembled a mouse’s tail. “I used to have long hair, but then I cut it short and left a strand of braid. Did my teammates make fun of me and ask me to cut them off? Yes, I cut it a little, but not completely because that is my specialty,” said Palacio while still playing for Inter.
Apart from being eccentric, Palacio is also capable of being responsible for Inter’s front lines. In his debut season, he became the club’s top scorer in Serie A with 12 goals. He paid the trust of coach Andrea Stramaccioni. This Italian coach gave Palacio ample opportunity due to Diego Milito’s long injury.
In December 2012, Palacio became Inter’s savior during the Coppa Italia match against Hellas Verona. That time, il Nerrazurri 2-0 up thanks to goals from Fredy Guarin and Antonio Cassano. However, Inter’s advantage was threatened when goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi suffered an injury in the 80’s minute.
Stramaccioni’s men have used their allotted three substitutions. To finish the match, Palacio was appointed as a temporary goalkeeper. The former Boca Juniors striker performed beautifully under the bar. He even made two saves that ensured a clean sheet and Inter’s win.
Rodrigo Palacio defended Inter Milan until 2017. He scored a total of 58 goals for La Beneamata. However, unfortunately, Palacio did not win any titles during his time at the Giuseppe Meazza. He joined at the wrong time, namely when Inter were experiencing decadence after their treble win in 2010.
ASL
