Luis Tejada facts for kids
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Tejada with Panama at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luis Carlos Tejada Hansell | ||
| Date of birth | 28 March 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Panama City, Panama | ||
| Date of death | 28 January 2024 (aged 41) | ||
| Place of death | San Miguelito, Panama | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001 | Tauro | 26 | (9) |
| 2002 | Plaza Amador | 27 | (14) |
| 2003 | Deportes Tolima | 2 | (0) |
| 2004 | Envigado | 22 | (8) |
| 2005 | Al Ain | 15 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Plaza Amador | 30 | (19) |
| 2006 | Once Caldas | 3 | (0) |
| 2007 | Real Salt Lake | 1 | (0) |
| 2007 | Tauro | 4 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | América Cali | 30 | (16) |
| 2008–2009 | Millonarios | 25 | (1) |
| 2009 | Tauro | 30 | (4) |
| 2010–2012 | Juan Aurich | 96 | (48) |
| 2012–2013 | Toluca | 30 | (7) |
| 2013 | → Veracruz (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2014 | Universidad César Vallejo | 26 | (11) |
| 2015–2016 | Juan Aurich | 58 | (39) |
| 2017 | Universitario | 37 | (18) |
| 2018 | Sport Boys | 30 | (16) |
| 2019 | Pirata | 25 | (6) |
| 2020 | CD Universitario | 6 | (1) |
| 2020 | Plaza Amador | 8 | (2) |
| 2021 | Herrera | 31 | (10) |
| 2022 | San Francisco | 6 | (1) |
| 2022 | Deportivo del Este | 9 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2018 | Panama | 108 | (43) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luis Carlos Tejada Hansell (born March 28, 1982 – died January 28, 2024) was a famous football player from Panama. People often called him "Matador" because of his amazing goal-scoring skills. He played as a striker, which means he was usually the player who scored goals for his team.
Contents
Luis Tejada's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Luis Tejada began his professional football career with Tauro in Panama. He played well and soon moved to Colombia to join Deportes Tolima. In 2004, he played for Envigado. After showing off his talent in a big tournament called the Gold Cup, he went to play in the United Arab Emirates.
In 2005, he signed a three-year contract with Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. However, things didn't go as planned there. After a short time, he returned to Panama.
Back in Panama, he played for Plaza Amador. He worked hard to get back into top shape. Later, he moved to Colombia again for a short time with Once Caldas. He then returned to play for Plaza Amador once more. In 2006, he signed with Real Salt Lake in the United States, but his time there was very brief. He soon went back to Tauro in Panama, where he scored four goals in just four games!
Playing for América de Cali
In August 2007, Luis Tejada joined the Colombian club América de Cali. He became a very important player for them, especially in the 2008 tournament. He scored 12 goals in 19 matches, making him the top scorer for his team. His goals helped América de Cali reach the finals. The Colombian news even nicknamed him "America's golden tooth" because of his golden tooth. Many big teams from South America and Europe became interested in him after this success.
Time with Millonarios
After his great performance, Tejada moved to another Colombian club, Millonarios, in 2008. He signed a three-year contract. However, he couldn't score as many goals as he did at América de Cali. He left the club after scoring only one goal in 25 games.
Success with Juan Aurich
In 2009, Tejada returned to Tauro. Then, in early 2010, he moved to Peru to play for the champions, Juan Aurich. In his first season, he scored 16 league goals and helped his team qualify for the Copa Sudamericana. He also scored six goals in the 2010 Copa Libertadores tournament.
In the 2011 season, Tejada was the top scorer in the league with 17 goals. He helped Juan Aurich win their first-ever league title! He left Juan Aurich having scored an impressive 48 goals in 96 games. This made teams from bigger leagues in Mexico and Brazil want him.
Playing in Mexico and Later Years
In late 2012, Tejada moved to the Mexican team Toluca. He started well, scoring four goals in five matches. In 2013, he joined Veracruz on loan. For the 2014 season, he played for another Peruvian club, Universidad César Vallejo. He scored 11 league goals for them.
In January 2015, Tejada returned to Peru and played for Juan Aurich again for two years. He had another excellent time there, scoring 39 goals in 58 games. He continued to play for different clubs in Peru and Panama until 2022.
Luis Tejada's International Career
Luis Tejada was a very important player for the Panama national football team. He played his first international game in June 2001. By the time he retired from international football in 2018, he had played 108 games and scored 43 goals. This made him Panama's all-time top goalscorer!
He played in 34 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. In March 2005, he scored an amazing goal with an overhead kick against Mexico in a World Cup qualifying match. This goal was so good that Fox Sports voted it the best goal of the year!
Tejada led Panama to the final of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They finished as runners-up to the United States. He scored three goals in that tournament, making him one of the top scorers. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament for his great efforts.
In May 2018, he was chosen to be part of Panama's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This was a huge moment for him and his country.
Death
Luis Tejada passed away on January 28, 2024, at the age of 41. He had a suspected heart attack while playing a pick-up game in his hometown of San Miguelito, Panama.
Career Statistics
International Goals
Luis Tejada scored many goals for his country. Here is a list of his international goals for Panama:
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 June 2003 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Cuba |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 29 June 2003 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Cuba |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 28 April 2004 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Bermuda |
3–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 13 June 2004 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Saint Lucia |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 20 June 2004 | Vieux Fort Stadium, Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 30 March 2005 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Mexico |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 5 July 2005 | Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  Colombia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 8 | 9 July 2005 | Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago |
1–1 | 2–2 | 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 9 | 2–2 | |||||
| 10 | 3 September 2005 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Costa Rica |
1–3 | 1–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 7 October 2006 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  El Salvador |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 12 | 19 November 2006 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Peru |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 13 | 14 January 2007 | Weingart Stadium, Monterey Park, United States |  Armenia |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 18 February 2007 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | Costa Rica |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup |
| 15 | 4 June 2008 | Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States |  Canada |
1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 16 | 15 June 2008 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | El Salvador |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 31 March 2009 | Estadio Agustín Sánchez, La Chorrera, Panama |  Haiti |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 7 June 2009 | National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica |  Jamaica |
2–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 19 | 12 July 2009 | University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States |  Nicaragua |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 20 | 4–0 | |||||
| 21 | 11 August 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Venezuela |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 22 | 3 September 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica |
1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 23 | 2–1 | |||||
| 24 | 7 September 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Trinidad and Tobago |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 25 | 17 November 2010 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Honduras |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 26 | 7 June 2011 | Ford Field, Detroit, United States |  Guadeloupe |
2–0 | 3–2 | 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 27 | 14 June 2011 | Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, United States | Canada |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 28 | 19 June 2011 | RFK Stadium, Washington, United States | El Salvador |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 29 | 10 August 2011 | Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia |  Bolivia |
1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 30 | 2–1 | |||||
| 31 | 6 September 2011 | Estadio Nacional de Fútbol, Managua, Nicaragua | Nicaragua |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 32 | 7 October 2011 | Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica |  Dominica |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 33 | 11 October 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Nicaragua |
1–0 | 5–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 34 | 4–0 | |||||
| 35 | 26 March 2013 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Honduras |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 36 | 11 October 2013 | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico | Mexico |
1–1 | 1–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 37 | 15 October 2013 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  United States |
2–1 | 2–3 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 38 | 31 March 2015 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 39 | 10 July 2015 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States | Honduras |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 40 | 19 July 2015 | MetLife Stadium, New York City, United States | Trinidad and Tobago |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 41 | 17 November 2015 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Costa Rica |
1–2 | 1–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 42 | 8 January 2016 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama | Cuba |
2–0 | 4–0 | Copa América Centenario qualification |
| 43 | 6 September 2016 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
1–3 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Awards and Achievements
Luis Tejada won several awards and honors during his football career:
Juan Aurich
- Peruvian First Division: 2011 (Won the league title)
Individual Awards
- CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP: 2005 (Most Valuable Player)
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2005 (Named one of the best 11 players)
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Top Goalscorer: 2005 (Scored the most goals)
See also
In Spanish: Luis Tejada (futbolista) para niños
- List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
