Luis Alberto Blanco Saavedra (born 8 January 1978) is a retired

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

nian football midfielder.

Club career

Nicknamed ''Satú'', he started his career at hometown club

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, then moved to Europe to play in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

with Moldovan champions

Sheriff Tiraspol Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnis ...

where he played alongside compatriots Ubaldo Guardia and

Roberto Brown Roberto Ronaldo Brown Perea (born July 15, 1977) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was appointed assistant manager of sports of the Municipality of Panama in May 2014. Club career Nicknamed ''el Bombar ...

. He then had a short stint at Russian outfit Alania Vladikavkaz before moving to the Middle East where he played for UAE side Al Ain and Al-Nasr in Saudi Arabia. After spells at

Plaza Amador Plaza Amador is a Panamanian football club based in Panama City, that currently plays in Liga Panameña de Fútbol. It is the oldest team in Panama. History C.D Plaza Amador was founded in 1955 by Panamanian sports legend León Cocoliso Tejada ...

and

, he moved abroad again when signing for Colombians

Atlético Junior Club Deportivo Popular Junior F.C. S.A. (), commonly known as Junior de Barranquilla, by its old name Atlético Junior, or simply as Junior, is a Colombian professional football team based in Barranquilla, that currently plays in the Categoría ...

in February 2008. In 2009, he joined compatriot Alberto Zapata at Israeli team

Maccabi Netanya Maccabi Netanya F.C. ( he, מועדון כדורגל מכבי נתניה, ''Football Club Maccabi Netanya'') is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club was a founding member of the Israeli League in 1949. Af ...

, but left them in summer 2009. On his return to Panama, he again played for San Francisco and Chorillo and joined Tauro in January 2011. He retired at

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

side

Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the oth ...

in 2013.

International career

Blanco made his debut for

in an October 1999

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

and has earned a total of 60 caps, scoring 3 goals. He represented his country in 18 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and was a member of the

2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious ...

team, who finished second in the tournament and he also played at the 2007 and

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was played from July 3 to 26, 2009 in the United State ...

s. His final international was a July

match against

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

International goals

:''Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.''Luis Alberto Blanco - International Appearances
/ref>

Honours

Club

* Divizia Naţională (4): ** 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 * Moldavian Cup (1): **2001-02 * UAE President Cup (1): **2005-06 *

Liga Panameña de Fútbol The Liga Panameña de Fútbol (LPF) ( en, Panamanian Football League) is the top division football league in Panama. Until 2009, the league was named ''Asociación Nacional Pro Fútbol (ANAPROF)''. Competition format The league's season is divide ...

(1): ** 2007 (C)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Alberto 1978 births Living people Sportspeople from Panama City Association football midfielders Panamanian footballers Panama international footballers Panamá Viejo players San Francisco F.C. players FC Sheriff Tiraspol players FC Spartak Vladikavkaz players Al Ain FC players Al Nassr FC players C.D. Plaza Amador players Atlético Junior footballers Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Unión Deportivo Universitario players Tauro F.C. players Panamanian expatriate footballers Moldovan Super Liga players Russian Premier League players UAE Pro League players Saudi Professional League players Israeli Premier League players Categoría Primera A players 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup players 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Expatriate footballers in Moldova Expatriate footballers in Russia Expatriate footballers in the United Arab Emirates Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia Expatriate footballers in Israel Expatriate footballers in Colombia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Moldova Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Russia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Israel Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Central American Games silver medalists for Panama Central American Games medalists in football