Diego Palacios, on loan from Corinthians, makes first start in almost nine months | OneFootball

Diego Palacios, the Corinthians left-back on loan at Ecuador’s Universidad Católica, made his first start in almost nine months as his side lost 3-2 to Mushuc Runa in Quito.

The 26-year-old played 63 minutes before Eric Valencia replaced him. Católica were 2-0 down when he went off, and he was not involved in the goals conceded. According to Meu Timao, his previous start came on 19 October 2025 while on loan at Karpaty in Ukraine.

Palacios completed 29 of 31 passes, a 94 percent success rate. He won one of five duels, made one recovery and created one chance.

He has now featured in two straight matches under head coach Diego Martínez after more than a month without playing, when he spent four games on the bench. His Católica tally is 10 appearances and 224 minutes, an average of 22.4 per game.

Corinthians signed him in early 2024 under Augusto Melo without paying a fee after his Los Angeles FC contract expired. Across 18 months at Parque São Jorge he played only four times and endured left knee injuries.

Loaned to Karpaty in August 2025, he made only two appearances, then dropped out of squads from October. He returned in early 2026 and moved to Católica on loan, a deal that saved Corinthians about R$ 2.6 million in wages. His loan runs to the end of 2026 and his Corinthians contract to December 2027, and he is now seeking a sustained run.

Source: Meu Timao