Julio Dely Valdés


Julio César Dely Valdés is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés.

Club career

Born in Colón, Dely Valdés began his professional career in 1987 in Argentina with Deportivo Paraguayo of Argentina, where he scored 28 goals. He then moved to Club Nacional de Football in Uruguay, where he scored more than 100 goals and won the Uruguayan Championship in 1992.
In Europe, he played for Cagliari in Serie A and Paris Saint-Germain alongside Brazilian players like Raí and Leonardo in the French Premiére Division.
Nicknamed Panagol, he then played in Spain's Primera División with Real Oviedo for three seasons and with Málaga for another three,where he became the most prolific goal scorer in Málaga's history in Primera División, before returning to Nacional.
He finished out his career in 2006 after playing two seasons with Panamanian club Arabe Unido.

International career

Dely Valdés made his debut for Panama in a May 1991 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Honduras and earned a total of 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, who finished second in the tournament, losing the final against USA in the penalty shootout. 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 they both returned for a final Gold Cup tournament and World Cup qualification matches in 2005. His final international was an October 2005 FIFA World Cup qualification match against the United States, just as his twin brother Jorge.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
112 May 1991Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–02–01991 UNCAF Nations Cup
22 June 1996MCC Grounds, Belize City, Belize2–12–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
39 June 1996Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–04–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
49 June 1996Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama2–04–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
59 June 1996Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama3–14–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification
619 March 2000Estadio Cacique Diriangén, Diriamba, Nicaragua2–02–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification
72 April 2000Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–01–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification
821 May 2000Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–04–02002 FIFA World Cup qualification
923 May 2001Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras2–12–12001 UNCAF Nations Cup
1030 May 2001Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras1–11–22001 UNCAF Nations Cup
1128 April 2004Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama2–14–1Friendly match
121 May 2004Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala1–02–1Friendly match
131 May 2004Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala2–02–1Friendly match
1413 June 2004Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–04–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
1520 June 2004George Odlum Stadium, Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia2–03–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
1623 July 2004Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama1–11–1Friendly match
1718 August 2004Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador1–11–22006 FIFA World Cup qualification
184 September 2004National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica2–12–12006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial career

Dely Valdés became a coach after his playing career ended. He signed with his former team, Málaga, as an assistant manager for head coach Antonio Tapia. He left the club on June 16, 2010, after the arrival of new Qatari owner Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani. The entire team and staff was rebuilt, and Dely Valdés did not have a contract.
On September 14, 2010, Dely Valdés became head coach of the Panama national football team. He became coach after FEPAFUT chose him over the Colombian Luis Fernando Suarez. He had a contract for 10 months to coach the national team for the Copa Centroamericana and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The contract had an option to be extended to include the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He appointed twin brother Jorge as his assistant. They led Panama to the final round of World Cup qualifying, but ultimately fell short. After failing to qualify for the World Cup, the Dely Valdés brothers did not continue managing Panama.
Julio was put in charge at Árabe Unido in August 2014 and was announced as the manager at Águila in El Salvador on December 31, 2014.

Honours

Nacional
Paris Saint-Germain
Malaga