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It is the dream scenario for any professional, playing at the highest level for your club accompanied by the rare bonus of performing at the World Cup. Wilson Palacios has it all before him - but he nearly missed the lot.

The 25-year-old Honduran midfielder has endured the full gamut of emotions over the last year. Most of it had nothing to do with soccer but dealing with the aftermath of a family tragedy forced him to seriously consider quitting the game for good.

Triumph in the face of tragedy

That he has pledged to continue his career, with precious encouragement from family and friends, is music to the ears of his English employers, Tottenham Hotspur, and his fellow countrymen bound for South Africa this summer.

What Palacios does, and he does it better than most, is a relatively thankless task. He is soccer's equivalent of the Energizer Bunny - a wholehearted box-to-box player whose work is never done. Getting forward in support and getting back to bolster the defence is all in a day's work.

Attracted almost magnetically towards the thick of the action, he is an all-Action Man for whom shirking challenges is as incomprehensible as the turmoil which has engulfed his personal life in recent times. There is no doubt Palacios, one of five footballing brothers, partly blames himself for the fact there are now only four.

The youngest of his siblings, Edwin, was abducted at age 16 in late 2007 and though a hefty ransom was paid, reports of his release proved maliciously false. Nearly two years after his disappearance, DNA tests finally identified his remains and the family buried Wilson's brother in May last year.

The nightmare began shortly after Palacios got his break at Birmingham City. If extortion was the motive, the kidnappers achieved their objective but the boy was never seen again until the grim discovery last spring. Mercifully, most of us cannot even begin to imagine what emotional torture the family has suffered.

Considered walking away

Only recently has Wilson Palacios been able to discuss the subject publicly - admitting he came close to giving up the game - fearing, no doubt, his family would be targeted again. All the more remarkable, then, he has not only played through the psychological pain, but become one of the most admired midfielders in the Premiership.

It is no fluke that Tottenham is flirting with the idea of Champions League competition next season. Palacios's ability to play spoiler, break up attacking moves and quickly pick out a colleague going in the other direction has enabled Spurs to dream big. He's a virtual ever-present and believes his game has improved since his multi-million pound move from Wigan a year ago.

His steely determination, combined with a tireless work rate, has made Palacios a teammate to be treasured and an opponent to be respected. His approach to the game is exactly what Honduras will require when it mixes it with more illustrious opposition at the World Cup.

In trendy London, where expensive cars and jewellery are a necessary fashion accessory for many highly paid pros, Palacios is long removed from his Honduran roots. The world he knew has changed out of all recognition, except perhaps in one aspect.   

He confesses to being a deeply religious soul; he was raised in a devoutly Catholic household.  His prayers can neither bring back his brother nor help Honduras win the World Cup. But they can bring some peace and perspective to a quiet, thoughtful man who has much to achieve in the coming months.