Wilson Palacios has given an account of his traumatic year when he
was persuaded out of retirement after his brother was killed by
kidnappers.
Tottenham midfielder Palacios still has fears for his family
following the death of Edwin but has vowed to carry on playing and
has thanked Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and other staff at White Hart
Lane for their support during the ordeal.
Remarkably, when the 25-year-old heard about his brother's
death in the middle of the night on the eve of the clash against
Everton in May, he stayed in the hotel until the morning to ask
Redknapp permission to return home.
Redknapp was stunned by his player's character in the face of
tragedy. "It was all about having respect, not just for my manager
but also my team-mates," Palacios said. "I had to wait for the
right moment to ask my permission to leave the party and I just
thought it was the right thing to do."
There were more decisions to follow for Palacios, namely
whether to carry on in a career that took him from Honduras to the
Barclays Premier League but also led to a family member being held
captive and killed even after a ransom was paid.
"It's true, I did come close to retiring but the reason why I
carried on, firstly it's always been my dream to be a footballer
but mainly it was my family and friends giving me advice and saying
'keep going, keep going'.
"It has been an extremely tough year. But all you can do is
keep focused and keep moving forward. You have to remember that
you're playing for a club - Tottenham.
"To tell you the truth everybody at the club has really
helped me. My team-mates, the management, even through to the
directors have been really helpful."
Other things have kept Palacios going, including
qualification for the World Cup this year, the first time Honduras
have made the finals since 1982. It led to the president of the
country holding a banquet to celebrate and kept Palacios away from
England longer than expected.
Redknapp was amazed that his midfielder went straight from
the airport to Fratton Park in time to come off the bench in the
victory over Portsmouth. Faith in God and speaking to his family
have helped him off the pitch.
Now there is a real possibility of another brother, Johnny,
making the move to England if he plays the required games for his
country to earn a work permit.
"All four brothers are and were professional footballers," he
said. "It would be nice to see Johnny playing here. I'm not just
saying that because he is my brother.
"I could talk all day about him and say how fantastic he is.
He can play central defence or in the centre of midfield. He's very
stylish and elegant on the ball. He's quick and is bright and
intelligent."
Palacios and his brothers, naturally, dedicate their football
to the memory of Edwin. "Not just on the football field but
everywhere, we know he is with us all the time," said the former
Wigan midfielder.
"We left it in the hands of the law enforcement agency in
Honduras and they did their job, and we left it in the hands of
God, because we know that is where my brother is now, with God."
Unfortunately, Palacios' profile means he still worries about
the safety of his family in South America. He added: "It is a
worry, I have to tell the truth, but we're hoping things are on the
mend in my country.
"What we are aware of now is that maybe my family take a bit
more care with the way they go about their lives. Certainly it's
something which is on your mind.
"In particular it is a problem in Honduras. You will be aware
of David Suazo who plays in Italy. Fortunately they found his
brother, the same thing happened but they found him after three
weeks."
As Redknapp would explain, it says plenty about Palacios'
character that his form has never been affected and he has grown
into one of the most fearsome central midfielders in the Premier
League, clattering into challenges and starting attacks.
They were the qualities that caught the eye of Arsene Wenger
during a trial before Palacios was recommended to Steve Bruce at
Birmingham. That was just after Patrick Vieira left Arsenal, then
Wenger saw Lassana Diarra, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva
leave, so Palacios would have fitted perfectly into the Frenchman's
current team.
"I've got to tell the truth, they treated me very well there,
I've got to be honest despite the rivalry," he said. "But obviously
I'm extremely happy where I am now at Tottenham."
