Luis_Ernesto_Tapia
Luis Ernesto Tapia
Panamanian footballer (born 1944)
Luis Ernesto Tapia Pérez (born October 21, 1944, in Panama) is a retired football forward, who is regarded as the best player ever in Panama.[1][2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Ernesto Tapia Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | (1944-10-21) October 21, 1944 (age 79) | ||
| Place of birth | Panama City, Panama | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1961–1962 | Politécnica FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1963 | Deportivo El Granillo | ||
| 1963–1970 | Alianza | ||
| 1969–1970 | Deportiva Galcasa | ||
| 1970–1971 | Atlético Marte | ||
| 1971–1972 | UES | ||
| 1972–1974 | Juventud Olímpica | ||
| 1974–1979 | Provincia de Panama Metro | ||
| 1979–1981 | Atlético Ciudad de Panama | ||
| International career | |||
| 1963–1979 | Panama | 77 | (20) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He was a member of the Panama national football team between 1963 and 1979.
Tapia was raised in Barrio El Granillo, in Panama City[3] and debuted at a young age with Panama national football team. During a tour of El Salvador, he was signed by Alianza.
Known as the "Central American Pele",[4] and "Cascarita", Tapia played primarily in El Salvador during the 1960s and 1970s, especially with the Alianza.[5]
On March 19, 1971, in the then Estadio Revolución, about 25,000 fans witnessed the match between Brazil's Santos and Primera División side Atlético Marte. The Brazilian team featured Pelé, while Tapia played for Marte.[6]
He was part of the Panama team that participated for the first time in a World Cup qualifier.[7] Tapia scored the first goal for Panama in a World Cup qualifier. He also toured with the Panama in Asia[citation needed] and scored 20 goals in 77 games for Panama.[8]
In his honor, the Training Court next to Estadio Rommel Fernandez also known as mini-Rommel bears his name.[9]
International goals
- Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 March 1963 | Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González, San Salvador, El Salvador |  Nicaragua | 5–0 | 5–0 | 1963 CONCACAF Championship |
| 2 | 3 November 1969 | Independence Park (Jamaica), Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica |  Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1969 CONCACAF Championship qualification |
| 3 | 4 April 1976 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Costa Rica | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1977 CONCACAF Championship qualification |
Club
- Alianza F.C.
- CONCACAF Champions League (1): 1967
- Primera División (2): 1965-66, 1966–67
- Aletico Marte
- Primera División (1): 1970
- Juventud Olímpica
- Primera División (1): 1973
- UN GOLEADOR DE RAZA PURA El histórico Cascarita Tapia - La Prensa (in Spanish)
- “La Cascarita” que marcó una época con “la Orquesta Alba” - La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish)
- DeporMax.com Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Luis Ernesto Tapia – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Mini-Rommel gets name Archived 2013-07-11 at archive.today
- Luis Ernesto Tapia at National-Football-Teams.com