Exequiel Palacios has won a Copa American alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina and is confident he can add to his four major honours in Argentine club football with Bayer Leverkusen this season.

Palacios joined Leverkusen from River Plate in 2020 but injuries - a broken spine and torn ankle ligament among them - have disrupted his progress until now.

bundesliga.com sat down for an exclusive chat with the talented midfielder...

Palacios on when he knew he wanted to be a footballer

“I don’t know... I always wanted to play football, ever since I was little, like four, five years old, when I was playing with a ball. My mum worked in a shop nearby in the village, and when she was there I used to take my ball to the pitch and play, all the time, all night. I always played with boys older than me, and yeah, my dream was always to play with the ball. I never imagined I’d end up where I am today, but my dream was always to play football, it was what made me happier than anything. I’m very happy to be where I am.”

Palacios on whether he was always a midfielder

“Always, always. I sometimes played a bit further forward or over to the right, but I’ve always played in the middle of midfield.”

Palacios on his former River coach Marcelo Gallardo

“He did a lot, he was the one who brought me into the first division, but I don’t want to forget about all the coaches from the youth teams, because I learned from all of them, they leave you with many important things in terms of training, life outside of football, and yeah, I’m very grateful to Marcelo because he trusted me, he decided to put me in the first team when I was very young, I was only 17. And when I was going through bad moments, when he saw me going through a bad time, he came to me, we spoke, and that’s something that you always appreciate, when a manager comes to you and trusts you and tells you what to do to improve.”

Watch: Palacios assisted the opener as Leverkusen beat Leipzig on Matchday 13

Palacios on choosing the No. 25

“I wear 25 because when I came to Leverkusen, I was on holiday, I was in Tucumán with my family, and I was at a barbecue and we were talking about the numbers that were free at Leverkusen, and I wanted the no. 15 because I had that at River. And my friend told me that the 15 was taken, and I asked what numbers there were, and he said 25, maybe 18, something like that. And together with my family, we decided whether I was going to change to the no. 25, and that was La Racina, a symbol for me and my family, who are also River fans. So that’s why I chose the no. 25, and then when I got here I found out that the number has a great history here because a big player for the club wore it, Bernd Schneider.”

Palacios on German football

“The intensity, here every game is played to the maximum and they don’t give you anything. The league is really strong and competitive as everyone knows, right from minute 1 to minute 90, you have to be prepared, focused, ready for anything. I think I’ve improved in training, I’m looking after myself much more in my personal life, in what I eat, in how I rest, I’m more prepared for training. You have to be prepared, because if not, things won’t go well.”

Palacios on his South American teammates

“Yeah, Piero Hincapie arrived recently, he only just moved into his house, but yeah, with Luca Alario, Charly Aranguiz sometimes, we’ll meet up and eat some meat or something with our families. But mostly it’s here at the club that us South Americans hang out together. Most people leave quite quickly after training, in South America it’s different, you share a maté, have a chat, and that’s something we haven’t lost here, the essence of being South American.”

Palacios on Lucas Alario

“I didn’t have much time with Luca at River, when I arrived he was already on his way here, but I get on well with him. You don’t have to talk about what he achieved at River, and what he’s achieved here, because he’s been here in Europe for a long time, and it’s not easy, it’s not easy to be here in Europe for such a long time and still be prepared to give his best whenever he’s asked to play. It’s up to the coaches whether they play him or not, but for me he’s a great player and even more than that, he’s a great person. We share a lot of things at the club and outside of football, we talk a lot, I always ask him about things I don’t understand and vice versa. I get on really well with him, he’s a great guy.”

Watch: Alario, an X Factor for Leverkusen

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Palacios on Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane

“He’s a coach who is good for us South Americans because he speaks Spanish. He’s a good motivator, he’s got a winning character. I don’t know about everyone here, but us South Americans, we’re used to having coaches like that, coaches that want to win, who tell you how it is, who fight. I like him, I know what he wants, what he really wants, he tells us that. But I hope he takes us on in the best way, for him and for us players.”

Palacios on Leverkusen’s chances of a trophy

“There are lots of young players, under 25, and then also a few more experienced players like Charly, Luca, with experience, and the majority of players are international players, so we have the quality to win a trophy. I think we’re on a good path, we have to keep going because there’s a lot of time left in the league, and yeah, we’ll see how things go. We have to stay prepared and focused, and stay by each other’s side, that’ll make us stronger as a group to fight for the important things. That’s what I think.”

Palacios on Rafael Santos Borré

“Yeah, with Rafa, we have a group with him, Martínez Quarta and Montiel. We talk, Rafa asked me what the league was like here before he signed for Frankfurt, and yeah, I gave him my thoughts. But yeah, Rafa is a great guy, a great person, I wish him the best in Frankfurt, but I hope things go a bit wrong when we play them!”

Exequiel Palacios (r.) and Rafael Santos Borre (r.) were River Plate teammates as they won the Copa Libertadores in 2018. - Marcos Brindicci/Getty Images

Palacios on Rafael Santos Borré II

“Yeah, of course! I’m really happy he’s made the big step of moving to Europe. Obviously he had been in Madrid, but I’m happy for his family, they’re great people.”

Palacios on playing for Argentina

“The Copa America was beautiful, something I’d waited for my whole life, after so long without winning a trophy. For Qatar, let’s see who goes, but you have to be prepared and do the right things at your club, and focus on your club. The situation will come when it comes. The coach has the final say on who will go to the World Cup, but you have to be prepared and just wait, and let’s see if I’m on that list, because it’s something every player wants.”

Palacios on Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni

“He came into a situation that nobody really wanted, and he put himself forward and took on a very difficult situation. But yeah, him, the whole coaching staff, all the players, it’s a great group, and you see that when we play, everyone is working for each other, there’s no difference, and that’s what I think led us to win a big trophy. It feels great every time we go and play with the national team and share moments with them, because we all get on really well.”

Lionel Messi (l.) edged Robert Lewandowski for the Ballon d'Or after his Copa America heroics, a competition in which Exequiel Palacios (r.) started four games, including the final against Brazil. - MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images

Palacios on who plays the music in the dressing room

“Generally it’s Moussa Diaby, some of the French players, they play rap. But when it’s matchday, everyone has their own headphones on, listening to their own thing, and I try to get focused on that. But usually it’s Diaby most of the time.”

Palacios on which player never passes the ball

“For me, Moussa! ... But that’s just the way he plays. He’s a striker. He’s up there to score goals, there’s no problem. “

Palacios on who spends most time in front of the mirror

“I don’t know, I just focus on me, but let’s see... There are a few, but maybe Nadiem Amiri.”

Palacios on the happiest player in the squad

 “The happiest all the time is Jeremie. Jeremie Frimpong. He’s always happy.”

Palacios on who watches most football

“No, I don’t know! I don’t know who it could be. Us South Americans, me and Luca, we’re always watching the highlights of the games in South America because they’re on so late. But one who likes it the most? I don’t know.”

About the clubs

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

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