Luis ‘Matador’ Tejada and the ‘Golden Generation’

Panama’s golden generation, that special group featured the recently deceased Luis Carlos “Matador” Tejada Hansell.

It was a group of players who had everything to overcome from the outset, but who had to play four World Cup qualifiers to finally see the glory of qualifying for Russia 2018.

A select group of soccer players who played four qualifying rounds consisting of: Felipe Baloy, Gabriel “Gavilán” Gómez, Jaime Penedo and Luis “Matador” Tejada.

World Cup qualification that began at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, under José Eugenio “Cheche” Hernández, where Baloy, Penedo, “Gavilán” Gómez and “Matador” Tejada saw action.

Later that group was joined by other players such as: Blas Pérez and Román Torres, who also made a difference in reaching Russia 2018 under the leadership of Hernán “El Bolil” Gómez.

It is interesting that this player base had its first qualifying round in the U-20 category on the way to the World Cup in Argentina in 2001, and was composed of players such as: Luis Moreno, Francisco Portillo, Luis Tejada, Blas Pérez, Roberto Stewart , Felipe Baloy and José Luis “Pistolero” Garcés , among others, unfortunately did not qualify for the World Championship in their category.

The first U-20 World Cup

The group that led Panama to its first World Cup was composed of Gabriel “Gavilán” Gómez and captain Juan Ramón Solís, they qualified for the United Arab Emirates in 2003 with Gary Stempel at the helm, in the under-20 category, where José Calderón was was a substitute.

Second U-20 World Cup

Panama went to their second U-20 World Cup, led by Román Torres, who had goalkeeper José Calderón as their starting goalkeeper and qualified for the Netherlands (Netherlands) 2005 under Víctor René Mendieta.

A special group

The combination of U-20 in 2003 and 2005 was the result of that “Golden Generation”, which dreamed and fulfilled by coming to the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

For the former coach of the Panamanian national team Julio César Dely Valdés, the suddenly deceased Luis Tejada received a well-deserved recognition because he took us to the first World Cup played by Panama, in the company of a very special group of players and, as we wrote at the beginning, the so-called “Generation of Gold”.