Exequiel Palacios

#14 · Midfielder · age 27

Club

Bayer Leverkusen

Germany · Bundesliga

Caps

Intl goals

WC26 rating

high confidence

Recent form: 64
Career peak: 72
League level: 89
Competition pedigree: 93
International pedigree: 76
Longevity: 70

Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.

Career by season

Season	Club	Competition	Apps	Gls	Ast	Rating
25/26	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Bundesliga	18	0	1	7.06
24/25	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Bundesliga	24	1	6	7.18
23/24	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Bundesliga	24	4	5	7.60
22/23	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Bundesliga	25	4	2	7.03
25/26	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	UEFA Champions League	5	0	0	7.28
24/25	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	UEFA Champions League	10	0	0	7.24
2026	Argentina	World Cup Qual. CONMEBOL	9	0	3	6.81
2024	Argentina	Copa América	2	0	0	6.65

Source: sofascore · fetched 2026-05-29

Palacios is rotation depth in midfield — useful in the group stage to give Mac Allister or De Paul rest, and a reliable in-game substitute. His Bundesliga experience under Alonso means he’s been schooled in the same kind of structured midfield play Scaloni asks for.

Strengths

Two-footed passing range
Defensive screening and tactical fouling
Tournament-ready experience from Bundesliga and Champions League runs

Recent form

Leverkusen first-team regular through the 2025-26 season.

Was the youngest Argentine ever to play in a Copa Libertadores final, doing so for River Plate in 2018 at age 20.