Palacios Wants Messi to be Part of the Team Forever
Ezequiel Palacios, the Argentine national team midfielder, expressed a strong desire for the football superstar Lionel Messi to forever be a part of the team, stating his difficulty at the thought of playing for his country without the inspirational forward.
Palacios, 25, who achieved triumphs with the Argentine team, winning the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022, admitted finding it challenging to imagine the Argentine squad without Messi, 36, an eight-time Ballon d'Or recipient.
Speaking to Reuters, Palacios said, "Let's not talk about Messi not continuing at the moment. You can never imagine the national team without Messi. We all want him to stay forever and always play with us."
Palacios also praised midfielder Angel Di Maria, who indicated that this year's Copa America would be his last international tournament.
"We don’t want Di Maria to retire... He’s a unique, different, and historic player for our country. If he retires, we need to take full advantage of every training session, every camp, and every match because we are lucky to have his quality,” Palacios emphasized.
Palacios contributed to Bayer Leverkusen's triumph in winning the German first division title this season, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year consecutive championship reign.
“My focus is on Leverkusen and performing well for the club and securing a place in the national team. I’m looking forward to participating in the Copa America, but I must secure my spot,” he stated.
Additionally, Palacios has the opportunity to secure a place in the Argentine Olympic team (under 23) for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris this year.
“I haven’t had the chance to speak with (coach) Javier (Mascherano) yet. I definitely want to represent my country and participate in the Olympics. I’m ready to do anything to play with the national team in any competition,” he shared.
Palacios expressed his happiness at helping Leverkusen win the German league title for the first time, stating, “I am very happy to have made history and become the only Argentine to win such a title with this club.”
The Argentine player, who joined the German club in 2020, has scored 13 goals and assisted in 10 in 116 matches. “This will be a milestone for the rest of my life when I'm not at the club, and I see what we've achieved," he added.
Palacios credited much of the success to the efforts of coach Xabi Alonso.
“I am grateful to Xabi. I’m someone who's open to receiving advice, especially from someone who played in my position and had an amazing career,” Palacios remarked.
He pointed out that his team is not getting ahead of themselves as Leverkusen is on the verge of possibly winning a treble this season, competing in the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern and the Europa League semi-final against Roma.
“We won the league and are aiming for the treble while it is still within our reach. Xabi tells us that every match is like a final, and we take it step by step each time,” Palacios concluded.