The Spurs midfielders brother, Edwin, 16, was abducted by a gang of five armed men from his family home in Honduras in October 2007 and despite his family paying a ransom fee for his return Police recovered the remains of a body, later identified by DNA tests as that of Edwin, in May 2009.
“Yes, it’s true, I did come close to retiring," Palacios has said. “But there were two reasons why I carried on.
“Firstly it’s always been my dream to be a footballer. But mainly it was down to taking advice from my family and friends.
“They told me to keep going and as I say, football is what I do, I love football.” Looking ahead to this year Palacios, 25, is focusing on a Champions League spot for Spurs before heading off to the World Cup.
"You never get over it. Edwin is with God now and in a better place.
“My faith kept me going and the thought we are not here forever. This is a great opportunity for me now to say thank you to everybody at Tottenham for their help.
“I love Spurs. I am forming good partnerships with Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas. We all know we can do much more and that drives us on.”