Mario Méndez (Panamanian footballer)

Mario Méndez
Personal information
Full name	Mario Uriel Méndez
Date of birth	January 5, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	David, Panama
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Deportivo Vianeth
	Cruz Azul F.C.
Senior career*
Years	Team
1995–1998	Chiriquí
1998–2005	Tauro
2005	San Francisco
2006	Chorrillo
2007–2008	Atlético Chiriquí
International career
1996–2004	Panama
Managerial career
2008–2010	Atlético Chiriquí
2011	Panama U-20 (assistant)
2011	Chorrillo (assistant)
2012–2013	Atlético Chiriquí
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mario Uriel Méndez, commonly known as El Cholito (born January 5, 1977, in David, Chiriquí) is a retired Panamanian football defender and currently is a manager.

Playing career

In Panama, Méndez played for Chiriquí, Tauro, Chorrillo, whom he joined in January 2006 from San Francisco,^[1] and Atlético Chiriquí. In 2004, he had the opportunity to go to trial to Vasco da Gama but hurt his Achilles tendon in Julio Dely Valdés and Jorge Dely Valdés farewell game.^[2]

Méndez made his debut for Panama in an August 1996 friendly match against Honduras and has earned a total of 33 caps, scoring 4 goals. He represented his country in 8 FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[3] and El Cholito was part of the Panama squad that participated in the UNCAF Nations Cup 2003 held in Guatemala.^[4]

His final international was an August 2003 friendly match against Paraguay.

Scores and results list Panama's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	16 February 2000	Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama	El Salvador	4–1	4–1	Friendly match
2	19 March 2000	Estadio Cacique Diriangén, Diriamba, Nicaragua	Nicaragua	1–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	14 March 2001	Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama	El Salvador	1–0	1–0	Friendly match
4	16 February 2003	Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama	Guatemala	1–0	2–0	2003 UNCAF Nations Cup

Shortly after retiring in 2008, Méndez became the manager of Atlético Chiriquí (the only team in the Liga Panameña de Fútbol Chiriquí). In the 2009 Apertura I championship, he led Atlético Chiriquí to their first qualification to the semifinals round after being 2nd in the general table. Unfortunately for Cholito, they lost on aggregate score to San Francisco. In August 2011 he became assistant to Miguel Mansilla at Chorrillo after he was dismissed as manager of the Panama U-20's.^[5]

In May 2012 he returned at the helm at Atlético Chiriquí,^[6] only to resign in March 2013.^[7]