| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Alberto Blanco Saavedra | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-01-08) 8 January 1978 (age 46) | ||
| 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 | |||
Luis Alberto Blanco Saavedra (born 8 January 1978) is a Panamanian football coach and a former midfielder. He is an assistant coach with Independiente.
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 |
