Luis Alberto Blanco Saavedra (born 8 January 1978) is a Panamanian football coach and a former midfielder. He is an assistant coach with Independiente.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Luis Alberto Blanco Saavedra | ||
Date of birth | 8 January 1978 | ||
Place of birth | Panama City, Panama | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Independiente (assistant coach) | ||
Youth career | |||
1994–1995 | Marseille | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999–2000 | Panamá Viejo | ||
2000–2001 | San Francisco | 75 | (6) |
2001–2005 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 48 | (5) |
2005 | Alania Vladikavkaz | 2 | (1) |
2005–2006 | Al Ain | 34 | (3) |
2006 | Al-Nasr | 25 | (4) |
2007 | Plaza Amador | 15 | (1) |
2007 | San Francisco | 16 | (0) |
2008 | Atlético Junior | 5 | (0) |
2008 | San Francisco | 23 | (4) |
2009 | Maccabi Netanya | 11 | (1) |
2009–2010 | San Francisco | 30 | (5) |
2010 | Chorrillo | 15 | (3) |
2011 | Tauro | ||
2011–2013 | Atlético Nacional | ||
International career | |||
1999–2009 | Panama | 61 | (3) |
Managerial career | |||
2021–2022 | Universitario (assistant) | ||
2022 | Universitario (caretaker) | ||
2022– | Independiente (assistant) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Nicknamed Satú, he started his career at hometown club San Francisco, then moved to Europe to play in the UEFA Champions League with Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol[1] where he played alongside compatriots Ubaldo Guardia and Roberto Brown.[2] 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[3] and Al-Nasr in Saudi Arabia.[4]
After spells at Plaza Amador and San Francisco, he moved abroad again when signing for Colombians Atlético Junior in February 2008.[5] In 2009, he joined compatriot Alberto Zapata at Israeli team Maccabi Netanya, but left them in summer 2009.[6]
On his return to Panama, he again played for San Francisco and Chorillo and joined Tauro in January 2011.[7] He retired at second division side Atlético Nacional in 2013.[8]
Blanco made his debut for Panama in an October 1999 friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago and has earned a total of 60 caps, scoring 3 goals.[9] He represented his country in 18 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[10] and was a member of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup team, who finished second in the tournament[11] and he also played at the 2007[12] and 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[13]
His final international was a July 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup match against Nicaragua.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 June 2004 | George Odlum Stadium, Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
2 | 13 February 2007 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | Costa Rica | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup |
3 | 22 August 2007 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Guatemala | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly match |