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Panama national football team Photo sourced from

Top 10 Football (Soccer) Players from Panama

Panama is a transcontinental country spanning the central part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. 

The Panama national football team represents Panama in men’s international football and is governed by the Panamanian Football Federation. The team represents all three FIFA, CONCACAF and the regional UNCAF. The country has a lot of talent when it comes to football players. 

Let’s take a look at some of the best players from Panama;

1.Gabriel Gomez

Panama national football team Photo sourced from

Gabriel Enrique Gomez Giron who was born on 29th May 1984 is a Panamanian former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.He played professionally in six countries in a 19-year career, mainly Colombia and Portugal.

Gomez was Panama’s all-time record cap holder, appearing in 149 internationals and representing the nation in seven Gold Cup tournaments and the 2018 World Cup. He also scored 12 goals in the process making him one of the best Panamanian players of all time. 

2.Alberto Quintero

Alberto Quintero Photo sourced from

Alberto Abdiel Quintero Medina who was born on 18th December 1987 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays for Peruvian club Club Universitario de Deportes and the Panama national team as a winger.Quintero was part of the Panama squad that participated in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.

He made his full debut that same year, in a friendly against Guatemala.He is one of the all time most capped players fir Panama coming second with 126 caps to his name, scoring 7 goals in the process.He is among the top talents that the country has ever produced. 

3.Roman Torres

Panamanian defender Roman Torres Photo by Victor Araiza

Roman Aureliano Torres Morcillo who was born on 20th March 1986 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Cartagines and the Panama national team.He is among the country’s all time most capped players with 120 capps where he has scored 10 goals. 

He represented the Panama national team and captained them in their first ever World Cup, where he was regarded as the ‘star player’ for the national side.He has made several appearances for his national team including qualifying matches for the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cup. He made his debut at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup against South Africa on 17 July 2005.

4.Luis Tejada

Luis Tejada Photo sourced from

Luis Carlos “Matador” Tejada Hansell who was born on 28th March 1982 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Molinos El Pirata and the Panama national team. He has represented his country for a total of 118 appearances from 2001-2018.

Tejada led Panama to the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, where they finished as runners-up to the United States and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his efforts. Tejada is currently the all-time leading scorer in Panama history with 43 goals. 

5.Luis Ernesto Tapia

Luis Ernesto Tapia Perez who was born on October 21st, 1944 in Panama is a retired football forward, who is regarded as the best player ever in Panama. He was active on the Panama national football team between 1963 and 1979.He scored 20 goals in 77 games for Panama. 

Was part of the team that participated for the first time in a World Cup qualifier, for Argentina 1978 World Cup and had the honor of scoring the first goal for Panama in these competitions, he also toured with the Panama on Asia, facing famous Hector Chumpitaz´s Peru team. 

6.Fidel Escobar

Panama national football team Photo sourced from

Fidel Escobar Mendieta who was born on 9th January 1995 is a Panamanian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, on loan from Alcorcon, and the Panama national team.Escobar made his senior debut for Panama in a February 2015 friendly match against the United States.

In May 2018 he was named in Panama’s preliminary 35 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and played all three matches in an eventual group-stage exit. He has since made a total of 59 appearances for the national team and scored 2 goals in the process. 

7.Michael Amir Murillo

Michael Amir Murillo Bermudez who was born on 11th February 1996 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht and the Panama national team. Murillo was called up for the Panama national team, making his debut in 2016.He has represented his nation in a total of 58 apps and scored 3 goals. 

On 27 April 2016, Murillo scored his first goal with Panama in a 2–1 victory over Martiniqu. Murillo was the starting right back in Panama’s group stage losses to Belgium and England in the 2018 world cup. He received a yellow card in each of the two matches, making him ineligible to play in the team’s final group match against Tunisia.

8.Cesar Blackman

Cesar Rodolfo Blackman Camarena who was born on 2nd of April 1998 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Fortuna Liga club Dunajska Streda and the Panama national team.

He made his debut for the Panama national football team on 23 March 2019 in a friendly against Brazil, as an 85th-minute substitute for Michael Amir Murillo and has since made a total of 8 appearances for the Panama national team. 

9.Alberto Quintero

Alberto Abdiel Quintero Medina who was born on 18th December 1987 is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays for Peruvian club Club Universitario de Deportes and the Panama national team as a winger.He is third all time most capped player. 

Quintero was part of the Panama squad that participated in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He made his full debut that same year, in a friendly against Guatemala. He has since made a total of 127 appearances for the panama national team and scored 7 goals in that time. 

10.Julio Medina III

Julio Antonio Medina Morales, also known as Julio Medina III who was born 14 July 1976 in Panama, Panama is a retired football midfielder and current manager of Liga Panamena de Futbol team Chorrillo.His final international was a June 2008 friendly match against Canada

Medina made his debut for Panama in an October 1999 friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago and has earned a total of 44 caps, scoring no goals. He represented his country in 21 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and was a member of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup team, who finished second in the tournament.

Panama was ranked number 66 in the FIFA rankings in 2021 making it among the best footballing countries in the world.