Nelson Palacio
Colombian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nelson Daniel Palacio Ruiz (born 16 June 2001) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Swiss Super League club FC Zürich, on loan from Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake, and the Colombia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nelson Daniel Palacio Ruiz[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 June 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Apartadó, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
FC Zürich (on loan from Real Salt Lake) | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2020 | Atlético Nacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2023 | Atlético Nacional | 71 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | → Valledupar (loan) | 34 | (0) |
| 2023– | Real Salt Lake | 44 | (1) |
| 2023 | → Real Monarchs | 3 | (0) |
| 2025– | → FC Zürich (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2023– | Colombia | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:25, 11 July 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Palacio is a youth product of Atlético Nacional since the age of 6, and worked his way up their youth categories.[2] He began his senior career on loan with Valledupar in the Categoría Primera B from 2020 to 2021.[3] He returned to Atlético Nacional in 2021, eventually helping them win a Copa Colombia, Categoría Primera A and Superliga Colombiana.[4]
International career
Palacio was called up to the Colombia national team for a set of friendlies in March 2023.[1] He made his debut with Colombia as a late substitute in a 2–2 friendly tie with South Korea on 24 March 2023.[5]
Honours
Atlético Nacional
