Felipe Abdiel Baloy Ramírez (born 24 February 1981) is a Panamanian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a defender. He scored Panama’s first ever goal in a

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

, against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at the 2018 edition.

Early life

He was the second youngest of his seven brothers and grew in the populous ''barrio'' of Cerro Batea in the San Miguelito district after moving from the San Martin ''barrio''. ''Pipe'' grew interested in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

after playing in the streets with his friends.

Club career

Early career

At age 18, he started his

career in ANAPROF team Eurokickers, although it lasted only a year as the team was relegated that year. He then moved to Sporting '89 and managed to be part of the Panama U-20 squad where he was spotted by Colombian international representative Luis Felipe Posso, was signed to his agency and the doors opened for Baloy in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Colombia

At age 19, Baloy moved to Colombia to play for Copa Mustang team

Envigado Envigado () is a city and municipality due South of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta, An ...

in 2001. He played the 2003 and 2002 seasons with them before moving to another Antioquia club,

Independiente Medellín Deportivo Independiente Medellín, also known as Independiente Medellín or DIM, is a Colombian professional football club (association football), football club based in Medellín that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their ...

. With Medellín he had more success; he played in the

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

where DIM reached the semi-finals. After only nine league appearances, he joined Brazil's Grêmio.

Brazil

Baloy started his career in Brazil with Grêmio where he played the 2003 and 2004 seasons in

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...

. Baloy was made captain of the team, despite being only 23 years old. However, Gremio were displaying poor form, being close to relegation in 2003 and being relegated in 2004. Shortly after Gremio's relegation, Baloy was signed by Athletico Paranaense. Baloy experienced some success after finishing sixth in the

2005 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Taça Nestlé Brasileirão 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the 49th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, a professional league for men's football clubs in Brazil. Corinthians cla ...

, but only played five league games. He also was not part of the side that finished as runner-up after losing to

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

in the 2005 Copa Libertadores finals.

Mexico

Baloy arrived in July 2005 to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to play for

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

in the Primera División. He made his debut on 30 July 2005, a match which finished 1–2 in favor of

Pachuca Pachuca (; ), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca Municipality, Pach ...

. However Baloy had to settle in with the Mexican fans since he was replacing a fan favourite, the

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

Defender Pablo Rotchen. After a couple of good performances, Baloy gained fan favour. In 2005, ''Pipe'' was part of the ''Rayados'' team that finished league runner-up in the 2005 Apertura. After that season, Monterrey were not at the same competitive level as they were before; but Baloy managed to stand out in the team and was called one of the best defenders in Mexico numerous times. In 2007, Baloy played in the

2007 Copa Libertadores The 2007 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2007 Copa Toyota Libertadores de América for sponsorship reasons) was the 48th edition of the Copa Libertadores. It started on January 24, 2007, and finished on June 20, 2007. It was won by ...

after he was loaned out to

Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...

for that competition. In later years, Baloy was linked to several clubs in Europe. In the 2007 winter transfer window he attracted the interest of

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

, however the move never happened. In 2008, he was linked to

side

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. In the 2009 Apertura, Baloy and

were crowned champions after defeating

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly referred to as Cruz Azul, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system, Mexican footba ...

in a 6–4

aggregate score There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

. Baloy became the first

Panamanian Panamanians (; feminine ) are people identified with Panama, a country in Central America (which is the central section of the American continent), and with residential, legal, historical, or cultural connections with North America. For most Pan ...

-born player to ever win the Mexican First Division championship. ''Pipe'' was nominated that year for the Mexican Golden Ball as best defender of the year, but came in second behind his teammate Duilio Davino. Shortly after winning the championship, Baloy made a surprise move to

Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V., simply known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club based in Torreón, Coahuila. The club competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Founded in 1983 as Club Santos I ...

. That ended a four-year spell in Monterrey where he played 145 times and scored 10 goals. On 14 December 2013 it was announced Baloy was sold to Monarcas Morelia.

International career

Baloy scored Panama's first and only goal, so far, for the team in the World Cup. He captained the Panama national team for many years including in Russia 2018. He played alongside José Luis Garcés,

Luis Tejada Luis Carlos "Matador" Tejada Hansell (28 March 1982 – 28 January 2024) was a Panamanian professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. A journeyman (sports), journeyman player, Tejada re ...

, Jaime Penedo among others. As youngster, Baloy played in the Panama U-20 squad which attempted to qualify to the

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between 17 June and 8 July 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar del ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. He made his senior debut for

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

in a May

2001 UNCAF Nations Cup The 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup was played in Honduras. Participating teams Squads Venues First round Group 1 ---- ---- Group 2 ---- ---- Final round ---- ---- Champions *''Guatemala national football team, Guatemala ...

match against

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

and has, as of 17 November 2017, earned a total of 100 caps, scoring 3 goals. ''Pipe'' has represented

participating in the

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America ...

. He was also part of the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup () is an association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for men's senior national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is held every two ...

Best XI. He also was part of the side that finished runner-up on both

2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious i ...

and UNCAF Nations Cup 2007. In May 2018 he was named in Panama’s preliminary 35 man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

for the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

in Russia. He figured in the final squad later on. On 24 June 2018, Baloy scored Panama's first ever goal in a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

match in the 1–6 loss against

. He retired from international football after Russia 2018. In Russia he became the oldest debutante to score in a World Cup match.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.''

Personal life

His father is

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an and his mother is

nian. Felipe Baloy is married with three children, and lives in Panama with his family. He is a naturalized citizen of Mexico. He has a close friendship with his Panama national team mates

Blas Pérez Blas Antonio Pérez Ortega (born 13 March 1981) is a Panamanian former professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League. Club career Pérez began his career in his native Panama with P ...

and Gabriel Enrique Gómez.

Honours

Monterrey * Primera División: Apertura 2009 Santos Laguna * Primera División: Clausura 2012 Panama *

runner-up:

Individual *

Tournament Best XI *

All-Tournament team:

* Tecate Premios Deportes Best XI: 2008

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baloy, Felipe 1981 births Living people Footballers from Panama City Panamanian men's footballers 21st-century Panamanian sportsmen Panama men's international footballers 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Copa América Centenario players Men's association football defenders Liga Panameña de Fútbol players Sporting San Miguelito players Tauro F.C. players Categoría Primera A players Envigado F.C. players Independiente Medellín footballers Águilas Doradas players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Grêmio FBPA players Club Athletico Paranaense players Liga MX players C.F. Monterrey players Club América footballers Santos Laguna footballers Atlético Morelia players Atlas F.C. footballers Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala players C.S.D. Municipal players Panamanian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Guatemala Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Panamanian expatriate sportspeople in Guatemala FIFA Men's Century Club Sportspeople of Chilean descent Naturalized citizens of Mexico Panamanian emigrants to Mexico Panamanian people of Chilean descent Chilean people of Panamanian descent Mexican people of Panamanian descent Mexican people of Chilean descent Association football coaches