Rubén Palazuelos García (born 11 April 1983 in Santander, Cantabria) is a Spanish professional footballer currently playing for Heart of Midlothian in Scotland, as a defensive midfielder.

[edit] Football career

Palazuelos began his career with hometown side Racing de Santander, but never made it past the reserves. Released in 2004, he spent his first professional seasons in the country's third division, with UD Lanzarote and CF Palencia, before moving to RS Gimnástica de Torrelavega in 2006 (also in that level).

However, he did not represent the Cantabrian neighbours in one single official match, and joined Greek side Aris Thessaloniki on loan for the 2006-07 season. In the following summer, Palazuelos signed for Heart of Midlothian after a protracted process on July 31, 2007,^[1]as the player reportedly paid for his release from his Gimnástica contract.^[2]

Palazuelos made his debut for the club in the 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie, in August 2007, and scored his first goal for Hearts against Falkirk in a 2-1 away defeat at the Falkirk Stadium. He scored another two times in 2008-09, against Motherwell in a victory, and at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium, in which he netted the 2-2 equaliser.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Rubén Palazuelos career stats at Soccerbase
• Futbolme profile (Spanish)
• London Hearts profile