Alberto Abdiel Quintero Medina (born 18 December 1987) is a Panamanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga LPF club Plaza Amador.
Club career Early career and Spain Nicknamed Negrito, Quintero was born in Panama City. He started out in his country with Chorrillo FC, then moved to Spanish amateur football with Torrellano CF in Elche. A key player for the side, he achieved promotion to Tercera División.
Subsequently, 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 stayed illegally in the country for almost a year before regularising his residence status with the help of the club. 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.
Quintero returned to Chorrillo in August 2011, after one season in the Segunda División B with Ontinyent CF.
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 spells at C.F. Mérida and Mineros de Zacatecas, Quintero returned to BUAP in January 2015. Eleven months later, he was loaned to San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, scoring two of his three total goals on 12 May in the 3–1 home victory over Houston Dynamo FC.
Peru Quintero joined Peruvian Primera División side Club Universitario de Deportes on 30 January 2017. He scored a career-best 13 goals in his first season.
Quintero won the Apertura 2020. On 16 November 2022, the 35-year-old signed a contract with Cienciano in the same league.
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 2018 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. The 38-year-old was selected for the 2026 World Cup, making his last appearance in the final group fixture, a 2–0 loss to England in East Rutherford, New Jersey that was also his first ever in the competition.
Career statistics International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsPanama2007102010402011112201290201317120148020151612016110201712020185020198020211432022130202390202520202620Total1427
Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Quintero goal. + List of international goals scored by Alberto QuinteroNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 29 March 2011 Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba 2–0 2–0 Friendly2 29 May 2011 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama 2–0 2–0 Friendly3 25 January 2013 Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica 3–0 3–0 2013 Copa Centroamericana4 7 July 2015 Toyota Stadium, Frisco, United States 1–0 1–1 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup5 5 June 2021 Estadio Nacional, Panama City, Panama 12–0 13–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification6 12 June 2021 1–0 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification7 20 July 2021 Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States 1–0 3–1 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Honours Chorrillo Liga LPF: Apertura 2011
Universitario Peruvian Primera División: Apertura 2020
Plaza Amador Liga LPF: Clausura 2025
Panama CONCACAF Gold Cup runner-up: 2013, 2023; third place: 2015
See also List of footballers with 100 or more caps
References
External links