To many football fans, the name Rodrigo Palacio means two things: a unique hairstyle and a famous miss in a World Cup final.
That is undoubtedly unfair. Palacio played over 600 professional games, scoring over 200 goals for Boca Juniors, Inter Milan, Bologna, Genoa and Brescia. He also made 27 appearances for Argentina, netting three times for his country.
Yet it is his hairstyle – a shaved head complete with a rat’s tail – which marks him out as memorable. That and his contribution to the 2014 World Cup final.
Argentina suffered heartbreak at the Maracana, with Mario Gotze scoring the match-winning goal in extra-time. La Albiceleste had serious firepower in the form of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Sergio Aguero, but after they failed to find the net, the final chance dropped to Palacio.
A cross from the left wing was misjudged by German defender Mats Hummels and dropped to Palacio on the edge of the box. He took the ball on his chest and advanced, but with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer charging out, he couldn’t provide the finish, dinking it over Neuer but harmlessly wide of the post.
That was the 97th minute in extra-time. Fifteen minutes later, Gotze showed him how it is done, collecting Andre Schurrle’s cross on his chest and volleying the ball past Sergio Romero to make it 1-0. Argentina could not respond and the World Cup dream was gone for a country who had not won it since Diego Maradona inspired them to the 1986 trophy.
For Messi, it was a particularly hard pill to swallow. The Barcelona star had top-scored for his country with four goals in Brazil but couldn’t take the chances which came his way in the final.
Palacio was in the squad on merit. He top-scored for Inter Milan in both the 2012/13 season and 2013/14 seasons, scoring 22 and 19 goals across all competitions respectively. But his modesty meant he knew his place.
Aged just 32, Palacio retired from international football in the wake of the disappointment of the 2014 World Cup. He continued playing for Inter until 2017 and went on to play for Bologna and Brescia in Italian football.
In September, aged 40, he finally retired from professional football. But he isn’t done with sport – Palacio now plays basketball. The former Argentina international joined Polisportiva Garegnano, a team from the 4th division of Italian basketball who are based in Milan.
Despite being just 5ft 9in, Palacio is mixing it with much taller players in the Italian basketball system. His interest in the sport is nothing new – and his career change doesn’t come as a surprise to those who know him from Argentina.
“He always had in his mind that when he retired from football he was going to play basketball. What happened now is no coincidence,” said Miguel Loffredo, a coach from one of his childhood clubs, La Falda, in Argentina. Loffredo also recalled Palacio’s point scoring exploits as a youngster at point guard.
“In the soccer breaks, he joined the training with the Segunda de La Falda team and played as equals. He had a lot of quality.”
Palacio’s rat’s tail remains and makes him stand out in pictures from Polisportiva Garegnano’s social media accounts.
So while his former teammate Messi lines up against defending champions France in the World Cup on Sunday, Palacio might well be getting ready to turn out for his basketball club in Milan.
