Palacios - Brother drives me on

Spurs star inspired by the memory of his murdered brother

Last updated: 31st October 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Palacios - Brother drives me on

Palacios: Takes inspiration from murdered brother

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Tottenham star Wilson Palacios has revealed how the inspiration of his murdered brother drives him on.

Palacios was left deeply affected when he learned in May that his younger brother Edwin had been killed by kidnappers in his native Honduras.

Edwin was just 16 when armed kidnappers took him from the family home in La Ceiba, Honduras's third largest city, in October 2007, while also tying up his parents.

A £125,000 ransom was reportedly paid but police then found an unidentified body on 8th May this year, with DNA results confirming the Palacios family's worst fears.

It left the Spurs star and his three brothers, all of whom play professionally in Honduras, questioning whether they should continue in the game.

But Palacios decided to carry on and now thinks of his brother whenever he takes to the field.

Giving up

He told The Times: "I and my brothers were thinking of giving up football. I really was. The family comes first.

"But Edwin would have wanted me to keep on playing and my family had the same view."

Palacios has already built a school in honour of Edwin and plans further charitable activities.

"We plan to do something in his name," he said. "My brother is always in my thoughts and mind when I go out on the pitch, when I am training, when I do anything.

"Every time I go to Honduras we do something for him as a family. He is an inspiration for me to carry on.

"With the passage of time, it gets easier to deal with. Answering questions about him becomes easier than it used to be.

Quiet reflection

"But every night before I go to sleep, I have a moment of quiet reflection."

Palacios is determined to continue to work hard to win a place in the Spurs fans' hearts, while he also believes the team as a whole are putting in a lot of effort.

He added: "I want to be known as the Wilson of Tottenham, Wilson the everyday worker.

"It is hard to comment on the past, but now we have an attitude that everyone puts in effort to win the ball back."

Arsenal v Tottenham 1st Goalscorer: Palacios, W. 28/1