Felipe Abdiel Baloy Ramírez (born 24 February 1981) is a Panamanian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defender. He scored Panama’s first ever goal in a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

, against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

at the 2018 edition.

Early life

He was the second youngest of his seven brothers and grew in the populous ''barrio'' of Cerro Batea in the San Miguelito district after moving from the San Martin ''barrio''. ''Pipe'' grew interested in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

after playing in the streets with his friends. Baloy graduated from elementary and high school, never continued on to university, and instead pursued his career in

where "things have been going well".

Club career

Early career

At age 18, he started his

career in ANAPROF team Eurokickers, although it lasted only a year as the team was relegated that year. He then moved to Sporting '89 and managed to be part of the Panama U-20 squad where he was spotted by Colombian international representative

Luis Felipe Posso Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

, was signed to his agency and the doors opened for Baloy in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Colombia

At age 19, Baloy moved to Colombia to play for

Copa Mustang Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA may refer to: * Computer Operator Programming Assistant. trade of ITI * Child Online Protection Act, a former U.S. law to protect minors from certain material on the internet * Canadian Owners and Pilots Asso ...

team

Envigado Envigado () is a town southeast of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas to ...

in 2001. He played a year with Antioquia before moving to

Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at Estadio Atanasio Girardo ...

. With Medellín he had more success; he played in

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

where DIM finished 3rd. After 2003, he was signed by Brazil's Grêmio.

Brazil

Baloy started his career in Brazil with Grêmio where he played the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

- 2004 season. He Finished 20th (2003) and 24th (2004). Baloy was signed by

Clube Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...

but he was in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

with

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

; they were eliminated in the first round. Baloy was also made captain in Grêmio despite his youth. In Clube Atlético Paranaense, Baloy had some success after finishing 6th in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2005 and playing on the side that finished runner-up in the

Copa Libertadores 2005 The 2005 Copa Libertadores was the 46th edition of the Copa Libertadores. The champion also qualified for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship. It was the first time ever that two teams from the same country reached the final. This year's tour ...

. However Baloy did not play the final because he was signed by

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

and had to depart to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He was also captain of the

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in ...

side.

Mexico

Baloy arrived in 2005 to

to play for

in the Primera División (First Division), he debuted on 30 July 2005 in the 1–2

C.F. Pachuca Club de Fútbol Pachuca is a Mexican professional football team based in Pachuca, Hidalgo, that competes in Liga MX. Founded by Cornish miners from Camborne and Redruth in 1901, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the Americas, and was ...

match. However Baloy had to settle in with the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

fans since he was replacing a fan favourite, the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

Defender

Pablo Rotchen Pablo Oscar Rotchen Suárez (born 23 April 1973 in Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine football defender who played for the Argentina national team in Copa América 1997. Rotchen started his professional career playing for Club Atlétic ...

. After a couple of good performances, Baloy gained fan favour.
In 2005, ''Pipe'' had a good start with ''Rayados'' where in the 2005 Apertura the team was runner-up. After that season, Monterrey were not at the same competitive level as they were before; but Baloy managed to stand out in the team and was called one of the best defenders in Mexico numerous times. In 2007, Baloy played in the 2007 Copa Libertadores after he was loaned out to

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...

for that competition. In later years, Baloy was linked to several clubs in Europe. In the 2007 winter transfer window he attracted the interest of

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

, however the move never happened. In 2008, he was linked to

side

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. On the 2009 Apertura, Baloy and

were crowned champions after defeating

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

in a 6–4

aggregate score There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

. Baloy became the first

Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For mo ...

-born player to ever win the Mexican First Division championship. ''Pipe'' was nominated that year for the Mexican Golden Ball as best defender of the year, but came in second behind his team mate

Duilio Davino Duilio César Jean Pierre Davino Rodríguez (born 21 March 1976) is a Mexican former professional footballer and executive who last served as Sporting Chairman of Liga MX club Monterrey. Playing career Davino was called up to play in the 1995 ...

. Shortly after winning the championship, Baloy made a surprise move to

Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...

. That ended a four-year spell in Monterrey where he played 145 times and scored 10 goals. On 14 December 2013 it was announced Baloy was sold to Monarcas Morelia.

International career

Baloy scored Panama's first and only goal, so far, for the team in the World Cup. He captained the Panama national team for many years including in Russia 2018. He played alongside José Luis Garcés,

Luis Tejada Luis Carlos "Matador" Tejada Hansell (born 28 March 1982) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Molinos El Pirata. Club career Tejada's debut in professional soccer was with Tauro in the local league, where he ma ...

Jaime Penedo Jaime Manuel Penedo Cano (born 26 September 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various teams such as: Osasuna B, CSD Municipal, LA Galaxy, Deportivo Saprissa and Dinamo București, among others ...

among others. As youngster, Baloy played in the Panama U-20 squad which attempted to qualify to the

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between 17 June and 8 July 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar de ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He made his senior debut for

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 Cos ...

in a May

2001 UNCAF Nations Cup The 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup was played in Honduras. Participating teams Squads Venues First round Group 1 ---- ---- Group 2 ---- ---- Final round ---- ---- Champions *''Guatemala national football team, Guatemala ...

match against

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

and has, as of 17 November 2017, earned a total of 100 caps, scoring 3 goals. ''Pipe'' has represented

participating in the

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South Americ ...

. He was also part of the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

and

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

Best XI. He also was part of the side that finished runner-up on both

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 ...

and

UNCAF Nations Cup 2007 The 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup was the ninth version of the biennial football tournament for the CONCACAF national teams of Central America. The event took place in San Salvador, El Salvador from February 8 to February 18, 2007. It was the second t ...

. In May 2018 he was named in Panama’s preliminary 35 man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and US doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a team, but smaller than a section." while US Army do ...

for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

in Russia. He figured in the final squad later on. On 24 June 2018, Baloy scored the first Panama goal in a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

match in the 1–6 loss against

. He retired from international football after Russia 2018. In Russia he became the oldest debutante to score in a World Cup match.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.''

Personal life

Felipe Baloy is married with three children, and lives in Panama with his family. He is a naturalized citizen of Mexico. He has a close friendship with his Panama national team mates

Blas Pérez Blas Antonio Pérez Ortega (born 13 March 1981) is a Panamanian footballer who plays as a forward for the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League. Club career Pérez began his career in his native Panama with Panamá Viejo. He made ...

and Gabriel Enrique Gómez.

Honours

Monterrey * Primera División: Apertura 2009 Santos Laguna * Primera División: Clausura 2012 Individual *

Tournament Best XI *

All-Tournament team:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baloy, Felipe 1981 births 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup players 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 Copa Centroamericana players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Association football defenders C.F. Monterrey players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Categoría Primera A players Club América footballers Atlas F.C. footballers Club Athletico Paranaense players Copa América Centenario players C.S.D. Municipal players Envigado F.C. players Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate footballers in Colombia Expatriate footballers in Guatemala Expatriate footballers in Mexico FIFA Century Club Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players Independiente Medellín footballers Liga MX players Liga Panameña de Fútbol players Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala players Living people Atlético Morelia players Naturalized citizens of Mexico Panama international footballers Panamanian emigrants to Mexico Panamanian expatriate footballers Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Panamanian footballers Mexican people of Panamanian descent Águilas Doradas Rionegro players Santos Laguna footballers Sporting San Miguelito players Sportspeople from Panama City Tauro F.C. players