Martín Palermo

Boca Juniors' all-time top scorer and greatest idol, known for his resilience and spectacular goals.

Martín Palermo (born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Platense. Palermo played mainly as a forward for Boca Juniors. A prolific goalscorer, he is Boca Juniors' all-time top scorer with 236 goals, and is placed 7th among all-time Primera División top scorers with 227 goals in 408 matches. He also played in Argentina for Estudiantes de La Plata and in Spain for Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés. During his playing career, he was nicknamed Loco and Titán. In a 2008 poll, Boca Juniors fans chose him as the greatest idol in the club's history. With the Argentina national team, Palermo earned 15 caps and scored 9 goals. He played at the 1999 Copa América and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with a decade-long hiatus in between. Since 2012, he has worked as a manager in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Paraguay.

Quick Facts

Born: 7 November 1973
Birthplace: La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height: 1.88 m / 6 ft 2 in
Position: Striker
Current club: Platense (manager)
Total caps: 592
Total goals: 249

Lore & Background

Born in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Palermo began his career at Estudiantes de La Plata and played there for five years from 1992 to 1997 and later was transferred to Boca Juniors. He had a slow start with Boca Juniors. In their seventh match of the 1997 Apertura on 30 September 1997, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory against Independiente. In 1999, his good goal average and performances led European clubs to be interested, but on 13 November 1999, in a game against Colón, he had a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee; before leaving he scored his 100th goal in the Argentine First Division.

He took six months to recover. On 24 May 2000, he returned, playing the last fifteen minutes of the quarterfinal match of the Copa Libertadores against River Plate and scoring a goal. He played in the Intercontinental Cup in 2000, scoring the two goals in Boca's 2–1 victory over Real Madrid. Palermo signed with Villarreal in January 2001.

He made his debut on 5 February in a 2–0 home win over Alavés. A week later, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 win at Real Oviedo. On 29 November 2001, Palermo scored an extra-time goal away to Levante in the Copa del Rey; he celebrated by standing on a small concrete wall, which collapsed and broke both the tibia and fibula of his left leg. He did not recover until April 2002.

On 5 May, his first start since recovery, he took nine minutes to score in a 2–1 win over Real Zaragoza. He left Villarreal by mutual consent on 20 August 2003. The day after, he signed for Real Betis on a one-year deal. He played only 12 total games, scoring once.

He left Betis in March 2004 and joined Alavés in the Segunda División, scoring three times in 14 games. On 13 July 2004, Palermo returned to Boca Juniors. On 17 December he scored his 100th goal with Boca on the final of the 2004 Copa Sudamericana. On 26 May 2005, he scored twice in a 4–0 Copa Libertadores victory over Atletico Junior.

In the second leg against Chivas on 2 June, he was involved in a brawl and sent off. On 22 November 2005, in the Copa Sudamericana semifinal, he scored Boca's second goal to tie the score at 2–2. In the second leg of the finals on 18 December 2005 against Pumas UNAM, he scored a goal; the match went to penalties, and though Palermo missed his penalty, Boca won 4–3.

Reader's Guide

Martín Palermo is a legendary Argentine striker, Boca Juniors' all-time top scorer with 236 goals, and the club's greatest idol per a 2008 fan poll. He overcame two major knee injuries and a horrific leg fracture in 2001. Known for spectacular goals, including a 38.9-meter header and a bicycle kick, he scored hat-tricks six times in his career. He also played for Estudiantes, Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés, and represented Argentina in the 1999 Copa América and 2010 World Cup. Since 2012, he has managed clubs in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Paraguay.