The Titan Who Endured a Nightmare on the Pitch, Then Saved Argentina and Broke a Maradona Record

Martin Palermo steps up to the spot, striking with his left foot. The shot is weak, lacking both power and precision. A second later, the striker watches as goalkeeper Miguel Calero parries his effort, much to the delight of the opposition.

The Argentine forward is devastated. Anyone can miss a penalty, but for Martin Palermo, it's the third time... in the same match. Not one, not two, but three missed penalties! Palermo etches his name into the Guinness Book of Records in an unwanted fashion, and Argentina is brought to its knees, suffering a 0-3 loss to Colombia.

Palermo missed his first penalty in just the fifth minute, hitting the crossbar. The second, in the 76th minute with the score at 1-1, was wildly off target, sailing over the goal. Then came the third, saved by Calero, by which point the result was already beyond hope for the "Gauchos."

All this unfolded on July 4, 1999, during a group stage match of the Copa América tournament in Paraguay. However, the defeat didn't prove fatal for the Argentines, at least in terms of them still advancing past the group stage. Yet, the loss to Colombia sent them into a quarter-final clash against their fierce rivals, Brazil. Argentina lost 1-2, and the "Seleção" ultimately went all the way, leaving Asunción with the trophy.

This was undoubtedly the most nightmarish moment in Palermo's career, but the story of the La Plata-born footballer is far from entirely tragic.

Years later, the prolific striker, known by his nicknames "El Loco" (The Madman) and "El Titán" (The Titan), became a hero for Argentina. He scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute for a 2-1 victory against Peru in a crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier, prompting the late Diego Maradona, then coach of the "Gauchos," to exclaim: "That was another miracle from Saint Palermo."

Palermo was part of Argentina's squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and scored against Greece. At 36 years old at the time, the veteran became the oldest player to score for Argentina at a World Cup – a record previously held by Maradona himself.

In just a few hours, this record could fall. The 38-year-old Lionel Messi has the opportunity to break it very soon, at the ongoing World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Argentina kicks off their campaign at 4:00 AM Bulgarian time on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, with a match against Algeria.

At club level, Martin Palermo became an idol for Boca Juniors fans throughout his career and holds legendary status at the Argentine giant. "El Titán" is the club's all-time leading scorer with 236 goals and is in the Top 10 all-time goalscorers in the Argentine Primera División with 227 goals in 408 appearances.

In Argentina, Palermo also played for his hometown club Estudiantes de La Plata, where he took his first steps in professional football. He also ventured onto the European stage, specifically in Spain, with Villarreal, Real Betis, and Alavés.

After ending his active football career, the now 52-year-old Palermo has coached various clubs in South and North America, most recently Fortaleza in Brazil.