Alberto Zapata

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Alberto Zapata

| fullname = Alberto de Jesús Zapata Urriola

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|2|28}}

| birth_place = Panama City, Panama

| height = {{height|m=1.80|precision=0}}

| position = Forward

| currentclub = Atlético Nacional

| clubnumber = 9

| years1 = 1999 | clubs1 = Real España | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1999 | clubs2 = Vida

| years3 = 2000–2002 | clubs3 = Tauro

| years4 = 2001 | clubs4 = Tecos UAG | caps4= 20 | goals4= 16

| years5 = 2002 | clubs5 = Chorrillo

| years6 = 2003 | clubs6 = Alianza (Panama)

| years7 = 2004 | clubs7 = Olimpia Asunción

| years8 = 2005 | clubs8 = Municipal Valencia

| years9 = 2005 | clubs9 = Alianza (Panama)

| years10= 2006 | clubs10= San Francisco

| years11= 2007 | clubs11= Puerto Rico Islanders | caps11= 17 | goals11= 4

| years12= 2008 | clubs12= San Francisco | caps12= 37 | goals12= 25

| years13= 2009 | clubs13= Maccabi Netanya | caps13= 11 | goals13= 1

| years14= 2009 | clubs14= Alianza (El Salvador) | caps14= 10 | goals14= 1

| years15= 2010 | clubs15= San Francisco | caps15= 19 | goals15= 5

| years16= 2010–2012 | clubs16= Sporting San Miguelito | caps16= 29 | goals16= 9

| years17= 2013–2015 | clubs17= Atlético Nacional

| nationalyears1 = 2000–2009

| nationalteam1 = Panama

| nationalcaps1 = 15

| nationalgoals1 = 2

| pcupdate = 28 September 2008

| ntupdate = October 20, 2008

}}

Alberto de Jesús Zapata Urriola (born 28 February 1979) is a retired professional Panamanian football forward who played for last time in Atlético Nacional.

Club career

A much-travelled striker or attacking midfielder, Zapata played alongside compatriot Roberto Brown for Honduran side Real España in 1999[http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/content/alberto-zapata-aspira-dejar-honduras-y-jugar-en-m%C3%A9xico Alberto Zapata aspira dejar Honduras y jugar en México] - Panamá América {{in lang|es}} and left fellow Hondurans Vida in December 1999 after claiming the club had not paid him his wages.[http://portal.critica.com.pa/archivo/122999/dep5.html Alberto Zapata no jugará para el Club Vida catracho] - Crítica {{in lang|es}} In 2001, he played for Mexican second division side Tecos UAG,[http://portal.critica.com.pa/archivo/10082001/dep07.html Zapata con 12 goles en el fútbol azteca] - Crítica {{in lang|es}} for whom he rattled in 16 goals in 20 games.[http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/content/zapata-con-positiva-campa%C3%B1a-en-las-inferiores-de-los-tecos Zapata con positiva campaña en las inferiores de los Tecos] - Panamá América {{in lang|es}} He later joined Chorrillo from Tauro in his native Panama in summer 2002[http://impresa.prensa.com/deportes/Alberto-Zapata-nuevo-fichaje-Chorrillo_0_706429372.html Alberto Zapata es el nuevo fichaje de El Chorrillo] - La Prensa {{in lang|es}} and moved to Alianza in 2003,[http://portal.critica.com.pa/archivo/09102003/dep17.html El Alianza se encamina según su delantero Alberto Zapata] - Crítica {{in lang|es}} winning the Panamanian league's MVP award 2003 in the process.[http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/content/alberto-zapata-m%C3%A1s-valioso-del-2003 Alberto Zapata más valioso del 2003] - Panamá América {{in lang|es}}

In January 2004 he moved abroad again to play for Paraguayan giants Olimpia[http://impresa.prensa.com/deportes/Alberto-Zapata-sumo-plantel-Olimpia_0_1113638637.html Alberto Zapata se sumó al plantel de Olimpia] - La Prensa {{in lang|es}} and returned to Honduras in January 2005 when recommended to Municipal Valencia by Víctor René Mendieta.[http://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/content/alberto-zapata-jugar%C3%A1-en-honduras Alberto Zapata jugará en Honduras] - Panamá América {{in lang|es}}

He returned to Panama in 2005 to play for Alianza again and from 2006 for San Francisco and played with fellow Panamanians Víctor Herrera Piggott and Gustavo Ávila at Puerto Rican outfit Puerto Rico Islanders in 2007. In January 2009 he went to Europe for a spell alongside Alberto Blanco in Israel with Lothar Matthäus-led Maccabi Netanya and scored his first goal for them in April 2009 against Hapoel Petah Tikva.[http://impresa.prensa.com/deportes/Zapata-anota-primer-futbol-Israel_0_2551994880.html Zapata anota su primer gol en el fútbol de Israel] - La Prensa {{in lang|es}} In July 2009 he signed with Salvadoran side Alianza,[http://www.rpctv.com/deportes/futbol/Panameno-Zapata-reforzara-Alianza-Salvador_0_172182867.html Panameño Zapata reforzará al Alianza de El Salvador] - RPC {{in lang|es}} only to leave them in November 2009 after an unsuccessful spell at the club.[http://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/futbol-nacional/71108-zapata-se-fue-de-alianza.html Zapata se fue de Alianza] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306195916/http://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/futbol-nacional/71108-zapata-se-fue-de-alianza.html |date=2016-03-06 }} - La Prensa Gráfica {{in lang|es}}

After another stint at San Francisco he moved to Sporting San Miguelito in summer 2010[http://impresa.prensa.com/deportes/Altas-bajas-LPF_0_2893210724.html TORNEO APERTURA DE LA LIGA PANAMEÑA DE FÚTBOL Altas y bajas de la LPF] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071149/http://impresa.prensa.com/deportes/Altas-bajas-LPF_0_2893210724.html |date=2016-03-04 }} - La Prensa {{in lang|es}} and later joined then second division side Atlético Nacional. In June 2015 he clinched promotion to the LPF after his team Atlético Nacional won the Panamanian Second Division championship decider against SUNTRACS with Zapata scoring one of the goals.[http://www.prensa.com/deportes/Policia-sube-LPF_0_4226577433.html Vence al Suntracs 3-0 La Policía Nacional sube a la LPF] - La Prensa {{in lang|es}}

International career

Zapata made his debut for Panama in a January 2000 friendly match against Guatemala and has earned a total of 15 caps, scoring 2 goals. He represented his country in two qualifying matches for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and four qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.{{cite web|website=RSSSF|title=2004 MATCHES : NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN|url=https://www.rsssf.org/intldetails/2004nca.html|accessdate=2008-10-23| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081011144359/http://www.rsssf.com/intldetails/2004nca.html| archivedate= 11 October 2008 | url-status=live}}

His final international was a January 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Guatemala.