# Alberto Quintero (footballer)

Alberto Abdiel Quintero Medina (born 18 December 1987) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays for C.D. Plaza Amador and the Panama national team as a winger.

## Club career
### Early years and Spain

Nicknamed Negrito, Quintero was born in Panama City. After beginning in his country with Chorrillo F.C. he moved to Spain in the summer of 2008, playing amateur football with Torrellano CF in Elche. He became a key player for the team, which achieved promotion to the Spanish Third Division.
After a sole season, Quintero joined FC Cartagena, three levels above his previous and just returned to Segunda División. Since he had arrived in Spain with a tourist visa, which expired after three months, he resided illegally in the country for almost a year before regularizing his residence status with the help of Cartagena. He struggled tremendously while adjusting to his new team, namely in an incident at Real Betis on 27 September 2009 (0–0 draw) where he was subjected to constant racist abuse by the opposing fans. His debut in the competition took place on 5 September, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–0 home win against Rayo Vallecano.
In 2010, he signed with Ontinyent CF of the Segunda División B, for the 2010-11 season. In 2011, after one season with Ontinyent, Quintero returned to his country and Chorrillo.

### Mexico

Following a successful campaign for Panama at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Quintero caught the attention of C.F. Pachuca, who was due to sign him in August 2013. Nothing came of it, but he moved to another club in Mexico, Ascenso MX's Lobos BUAP.
After one season at BUAP, Quintero was signed by C.F. Mérida and then moved to Mineros de Zacatecas, followed by a return to BUAP in January 2015. Eleven months later, he was loaned to San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, scoring two of their three goals on 12 May in the 3–1 home victory over Houston Dynamo FC.
Quintero joined Peruvian Primera División side Club Universitario de Deportes on 30 January 2017. He was initially criticized by the team's supporters for not being fit for playing; however, after the arrival of manager Pedro Troglio, Quintero became one of the club's players who stood out the most, scoring a career-best 13 goals in his first season.

## International career

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.
Quintero represented his country in 14 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, and was selected for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping the Canaleros to finish second in the United States. He was also picked for the following edition, scoring in the group stage opener against Haiti (1–1).
In May 2018, Quintero was named in Panama's final 23-man squad for the upcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 6 June, however, he suffered a fractured foot in a friendly with Norway after a collision with Bjørn Johnsen, thus being ruled out of the tournament and replaced by Ricardo Ávila.
On 5 September 2019, Quintero played his 100th match against Bermuda.

## Career statistics

    As of 20 July 2021
    Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Quintero goal.
List of international goals scored by Alberto Quintero :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 29 March 2011 | Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba | Cuba | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 29 May 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Grenada | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 25 January 2013 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Guatemala | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2013 Copa Centroamericana |
| 4 | 7 July 2015 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, United States | Haiti | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5 | 5 June 2021 | Estadio Nacional, Panama City, Panama | Anguilla | 12–0 | 13–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 12 June 2021 | Estadio Nacional, Panama City, Panama | Curaçao | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 20 July 2021 | Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States | Grenada | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |