JERRY Nelson Palacios comes from a family of footballers and, like his brother and teammate, Wilson, he has emerged a key figure in Honduras’s quest to qualify for their third senior FIFA World Cup.

A handful for defenders of all calibre, Jerry Palacios has contributed greatly to the Central Americans position in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, as his country is on the verge of booking one of three automatic berths to Brazil 2014.

Jamaican defenders have to be at their best to prevent the industrious striker from breaching the backline.

Palacios made his debut for Honduras in a March 2002 friendly match against the USA and has, as of February 2013, earned a total of 13 caps, scoring four goals. He has represented his country in four FIFA World Cup qualification matches, which makes him a veteran.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, Honduras achieved an historical distinction by including brothers Jerry, Johnny and Wilson in their squad. They became the first trio of brothers to represent a single nation in the World Cup.

Their other brother is Edwin who, at age 16, was kidnapped in La Ceiba in Honduras on October 30, 2007.

Jerry Palacios has played professionally in China, his homeland and currently plays in Costa Rica’s top league with Alajuelense.

Though he has not played in the top European leagues, don’t be fooled by that, as Jerry, 32, is a wily old fox on the offensive front.

He signed for Chinese super league side Hangzhou Greentown in January 2010. He had a failed trial in South China in the Hong Kong First Division League.

— SW