{"id":294972,"date":"2023-11-12T00:57:08","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T00:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=294972"},"modified":"2023-11-12T00:57:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T00:57:08","slug":"i-scored-over-200-goals-as-a-footballer-but-retired-to-become-a-semi-pro-bas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/i-scored-over-200-goals-as-a-footballer-but-retired-to-become-a-semi-pro-bas\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I scored over 200 goals as a footballer but retired to become a semi-pro bas&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Rodrigo-Palacio-5058705.jpg?r=1699604293513\"><\/p>\n<p>Former Inter Milan striker Rodrigo Palacio scored over 200 goals during his stellar 20-year stint as a professional football player but he is now shooting hoops in the sixth tier of Italian basketball at the age of 41.<\/p>\n<p>Palacio began his professional football career at 20 years old when he signed for\u00a0Primera B Nacional outfit\u00a0Huracan de Tres Arroyos from minnows club Bella Vista back in 2002. After an impressive season and a half at Huracan, he caught the eye of top-tier Argentinian side Banfield, who snapped him in January 2004.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He spent two seasons at the club, scoring 11 goals in 38 appearances before Boca Juniors came calling. It was with the\u00a0Genoese that Palacio really began to shine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By his second year, he had established himself as a regular starter and was banging in 20-plus goals a season at the\u00a0Estadio Alberto J. Armando. His impressive form earned him multiple call-ups to the Argentina national team including a place in Jose Pekerman&#8217;s squad\u00a0at the 2006 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Rodrigo-Palacio-5058711.jpg?r=1699604293709\"><\/p>\n<p>A move to Italy to play for Genoa followed in 2009 where in his third and final season he ranked among Serie A&#8217;s top scorers with 19 goals from 32 appearances. In June 2012, Inter Milan forked out \u00a39.2million for his services, signing him onto a money-spinning three-year contract paying the player \u00a32.3m a year.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Inter Milan were in a transitional phase so there would be no major silverware for Palacio during his five-year spell. But he did come close to winning the ultimate prize in football in 2014 when Argentina narrowly missed out on their third World Cup courtesy of a last-gasp winner from Mario Goetze in the final.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <strong> Don&#8217;t miss&#8230; <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Chelsea &#8216;step up contract talks&#8217; with Tottenham target Conor Gallagher[LATEST] <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Ferdinand savages Lineker after Haaland Man City goal celebration[LATEST] <\/strong> <br \/> <strong>Liverpool see chances to sign &#8216;future Barca captain&#8217; Araujo vanish[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Support fearless journalism<\/li>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Read The Daily Express online, advert free<\/li>\n<li> <svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_1078_5986)\"> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath> <rect width=\"23.4329\" height=\"23.4329\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"translate(0 0.134262)\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> Get super-fast page loading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/logo\/logo-premium-subscription.png\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PzrdNP0NZkY<\/p>\n<p>He would spend a further four years at the top of the Italian football pyramid with Bologna from 2017 to 2021 before dropping to Serie B with Brescia.\u00a0At the end of the 2021\/2022 season, he was let go from his contract.<\/p>\n<p>Yet despite fast approaching his forties at the time, Palacio didn&#8217;t want to stop competing in sports just yet. He was initially linked with a move to Serie D side\u00a0ASD Imperia. But Palacio opted to change sports entirely by joining semi-professional basketball team\u00a0Polisportiva Garegnano as a points guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Palacio had been a keen basketball player growing up. He juggled both football and basketball at youth level but chose to focus his attention on the former when things really started to kick on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When he was playing for Bella Vista as a teenager, his former coach Ernesto Ancan confessed that he \u201cfinished playing basketball and came to football\u201d and that \u201che arrived tired but played anyway due to the conditioning he had\u201d. He has gone on to establish himself as a regular starter for\u00a0Polisportiva Garegnano and doesn&#8217;t look like he will be retiring anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/175x108\/1695116350709.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1695116196960.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1695116196960.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Watch TNT Sports and Discovery+ througn Amazon Prime Video for \u00a329.99 a month.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s an easy way to watch all the best sports and the Premier League throughout 2023 without signing up to a contract.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/175x108\/1692264159219.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1692263979790.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1692263979790.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Sky is giving exisiting customers the chance to watch TNT Sports for just \u00a325 a month.<\/p>\n<p>It is added onto your existing package meaning you can watch every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match, plus exclusive Premier League games.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/175x108\/1692264531299.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1692264338510.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/affiliateswidgets\/115x50\/1692264338510.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Virgin Media allows customers to upgrade their existing packages for a set price.<\/p>\n<p>But if you&#8217;re not yet a Virgin Media customer, you can get the Bigger Bundle + Sports for \u00a365 a month.<\/p>\n<p>It comes with mega fast broadband, a Virgin 360 box and TONS of sports channels for you to enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/1832847\/Rodrigo-Palacio-Inter-Milan-basketball-football-news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Former Inter Milan striker Rodrigo Palacio scored over 200 goals during his stellar 20-year stint as a professional football player but he is now shooting <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/i-scored-over-200-goals-as-a-footballer-but-retired-to-become-a-semi-pro-bas\/\" title=\"&#8216;I scored over 200 goals as a footballer but retired to become a semi-pro bas&#8230;\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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