Julio Dely Valdés

Panamanian striker and manager, known as Panagol, who played for Paris Saint-Germain and later coached the Panama national team.

Julio César Dely Valdés (born March 12, 1967) is a Panamanian professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés.

Quick Facts

Full name: Julio César Dely Valdés
Born: 12 March 1967
Birthplace: Colón, Panama
Height: 1.87 m / 6 ft 2 in
Position: Striker
Total caps: 472
Total goals: 203

Lore & Background

Born in Colón, Panama, Dely Valdés began his professional career in 1987 in Argentina with Deportivo Paraguayo, where he scored 28 goals. He then moved to Nacional in Uruguay, scoring more than 100 goals and winning the Primera División in 1992. In Europe, he played for Cagliari in Serie A and Paris Saint-Germain in the French Première Division. He then played in Spain's Primera División with Real Oviedo for three seasons and with Málaga for another three. Nicknamed Panagol, he became the most prolific goal scorer in Málaga's history in the Primera División, before returning to Nacional. He retired in 2006 after two seasons with Panamanian club Arabe Unido.

Reader's Guide

Dely Valdés made his debut for Panama in a May 1991 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Honduras and earned 44 caps, scoring 18 goals. He represented his country in 27 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and was a member of the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup team that finished second. He also played at the 2001 and 2003 UNCAF Nations Cups. Both he and his twin brother announced their international retirement in November 2004, but returned for a final Gold Cup and World Cup qualifiers in 2005.

His final international was an October 2005 World Cup qualifier against the United States. After playing, he became a coach, signing with Málaga as assistant manager under Antonio Tapia. He left on June 16, 2010, after new Qatari ownership. On September 14, 2010, he became head coach of the Panama national team, with twin brother Jorge as assistant.

They led Panama to the final round of World Cup qualifying but fell short, and the brothers were not retained. He was put in charge at Árabe Unido in August 2014 and announced as manager at Águila in El Salvador on December 31, 2014.