Martín Palermo (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈtim paˈleɾmo]; born 7 November 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker.

[6] But on 13 November 1999, in a game against Colón, he had a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee; before leaving and without knowing the seriousness of the injury, he scored his 100th goal in the Argentine First Division.

He played in the Intercontinental Cup in 2000, scoring the two goals in Boca's 2–1 victory over Real Madrid, winning the man of the match award and catching the attention of football clubs in Spain.

He celebrated by standing on a small concrete wall, which collapsed under the weight of his team's fans and broke both the tibia and fibula of his left leg.

[17] Villarreal reached the final of the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and Palermo was sent off for a foul on Josemi as they lost on aggregate to compatriots Málaga; the Spaniard also received a red card for retaliation.

[19] The 2002–03 season produced his best league figures of seven goals for Villarreal, but he left by mutual consent on 20 August 2003 after the Yellow Submarine added Sonny Anderson and José Mari to their front line.

[22] Palermo left Betis in March 2004 due to lack of playing time, and joined Alavés in the Segunda División.

[27] On 26 May 2005, Palermo scored twice in a 4–0 Copa Libertadores victory over Atletico Junior, with Boca winning 7–3 on aggregate after a 3–3 draw in the first leg and qualifying to the Quarterfinals, which would be played against Chivas Guadalajara.

In the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana finals on 18 December 2005 against Pumas UNAM, Palermo scored a goal in the match which eventually finished 1–1 and went to penalties.

At the beginning of the 2008 Apertura, on 24 August he suffered yet another serious injury, this time he injured his anterior cruciate and tore his medial collateral ligament during the 2–1 victory against Lanús, with an expected recovery period of 5 to 8 months.

[36] After this was known, Argentine coach Alfio Basile said that he had chosen him to play for the national team for the following match in the World Cup qualifiers.

[39] During the 2009 Apertura, on 4 October in a game against Vélez Sársfield, Martín Palermo scored a very special goal (a header that traveled around 38.9 meters).

[43][44] On 13 December 2010, Palermo scored his 300th career goal in the final match of the 2010 Apertura in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia de La Plata.

[49] Palermo achieved legendary status in Boca in the last few years,[50] thanks to his many memorable goals for both the club and the Argentina national team.

[52] Palermo officially retired from football on 18 June 2011, in a 2–2 draw against his classic rival Gimnasia de La Plata.

He provided a headed assist for Boca's second goal in the last minute of the match, marking the end of a 19-year playing career at senior level.

[37] In September 2009, Diego Maradona recalled Palermo to the national team and introduced him as a substitute in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay after a 10-year exile from the international scene.

[62][63] In May 2012, Carlos Bilardo recommended Palermo for the open manager position at Estudiantes de La Plata stating "He can manage it, he is a man from the club"[64] Bilardo also mention that the previous times that he had recommended someone (Alejandro Sabella and Diego Simeone) Estudiantes had won championships.

[72] He left at the end of his contract,[73] and did not get another job until November 2020, when he was appointed the manager of Curicó Unido;[74] his time there was largely unsuccessful and nine months later he resigned from his post.