 Elis withHouston Dynamo in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberth Josué Elis Martínez | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-02-12)12 February 1996 (age 29)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Pedro Sula, Honduras[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Marítimo | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Real España | |||||||||||||||||
| Olimpia | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Olimpia | 62 | (25) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Monterrey | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | →Houston Dynamo (loan) | 26 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Houston Dynamo | 62 | (24) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Boavista | 31 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →Bordeaux (loan) | 20 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Bordeaux | 35 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | →Brest (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Olimpia | 17 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Marítimo | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Honduras U17 | 11 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Honduras U20 | 10 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Honduras U23 | 11 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014– | Honduras | 60 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
Alberth Josué Elis Martínez (born 12 February 1996), nicknamedLa Panterita (The Little Panther), is a Honduran professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forLiga Portugal 2 clubMarítimo and theHonduras national team.
Elis first played for the youth team ofReal España inSan Pedro Sula. He then moved toOlimpia, where he made his professional debut in September 2013.
Elis made his professional debut on 2 September 2013 in aLiga Nacional match againstMotagua. Elis came on as substitute forAnthony Lozano to help secure a 2–1 win in theClasico Capitalino.[4] He scored his first professional goal on 5 August 2014 to give Olimpia a 1–0 win overAlpha United in aCONCACAF Champions League match. His first league goal came on 24 August 2014 in a 4–0 win overMarathón. Elis would score again on 21 September againstVida as well as score the winner in a 2–1 victory against his former team Real España on 28 September.[4]
After 61 games and 25 goals with Olimpia, Elis joinedMonterrey on 26 August 2016.[5] He made his debut for Monterrey on 10 September 2016 in a 0–0 draw withClub Tijuana.[4] After only five appearances and no goals or assists, Monterrey loaned Elis toMLS clubHouston Dynamo for the 2017 season.[6]
On 4 March 2017, Elis made his debut with the Dynamo in the first game of the 2017 season; a 2–1 win over the defending championsSeattle Sounders FC.[7] Elis scored his first Dynamo goal in the team's next game as they won 3–1 against theColumbus Crew.[8] He picked up his first assist for Houston on 18 March in a 4–2 loss toPortland Timbers. On 27 September Elis scored two late goals to help the Dynamo overcome a 3–1 deficit. He helped the team qualify for theMLS Playoffs for the first time since 2013.[9] In the opening game of the playoffs, Elis scored the winning goal in extra time againstSporting Kansas City.[10] Overall, he had a strong debut season, scoring 11 goals and recording four assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.[8] On 13 December, the Dynamo announced that they had acquired Elis on a full transfer from Monterrey.[11]
Elis recorded two assists in the first game of the 2018 season, a 4–0 win overAtlanta United FC.[12] He enjoyed a strong start to the season, scoring eight times and assisting five others in the first 12 matches and being named to the MLS Team of the Week four times during the stretch.[13][14] On 29 June 2018, Elis was named in the team to play againstJuventus in the2018 MLS All-Star Game.[15] He came on as a halftime substitute forCarlos Vela. On 3 July he picked up an assist in the 96th minute to help rescue a 2–2 draw withLAFC.[14] Elis had two assists in theUS Open Cup Final on 26 September as the Dynamo defeated thePhiladelphia Union 3–0 to win their first ever US Open Cup.[8] Elis finished the year with 21 combined goals and assists in MLS, a club single season record.[16]
On 27 February 2019, Elis came on as a sub in the second leg of the Dynamo'sCONCACAF Champions League tie withCD Guastatoya and assistedMauro Manotas's goal that gave the Dynamo the lead on aggregate.[17] On 16 March, Elis scored one and assisted on both ofMemo Rodriguez's goals as the Dynamo beatVancouver Whitecaps FC 3–2.[18] His performance saw him named to the MLS Team of the Week.[19] In Houston's next game, Elis helped the Dynamo get off to a fast start when he set up Memo Rodriguez for a goal in the 4th minute against theColorado Rapids. He wasn't done terrorizing the defense however as he also scored one himself and hit two dangerous crosses that resulted in own goals, giving the Dynamo a 4–1 win over Colorado.[20] Elis was again named to the MLS Team of the Week.[21] In the Dynamo's next game, Elis stayed hot, scoring on a Manotas pass to give Elis a goal in his third straight game and to help the Dynamo get a 2–1 win over theSan Jose Earthquakes.[22] On 19 April, Elis converted a penalty to score in his 4th straight game, however the Dynamo would fall to theLA Galaxy 2–1.[4][23] On 27 April, Elis helped the Dynamo continue their good start to the season when he stole the ball, ran down the right wing before sending in a low cross that Manotas put into the net in the 3rd minute. Houston would go onto defeat theColumbus Crew 2–0.[24] On 4 May, Elis helped the Dynamo defeat rivalsFC Dallas in aTexas Derby match, picking up an assist in root to a 2–1 win.[25] He made four appearances in the Dynamo's next five games, picking up one goal and one assist, before leaving to join the Honduras national team for the2019 Gold Cup.[26][27] In his first game back with the Dynamo after the Gold Cup, Elis scored once and collected two assists in a 4–0 win over theNew York Red Bulls.[26] His performance saw him named to the MLS Team of the Week.[28] On 17 July, Elis received a red card after getting in the face of a referee in the 6th minute of a match with Atlanta United. The Dynamo went on to lose the game 5–0.[29] On top of the automatic one-game suspension, Elis was issued an additional one-game suspension by the league.[30] Elis returned from his suspension in 1–0 loss to theChicago Fire on 3 August, however he picked up a yellow card, meaning he was suspended for the Dynamo's next match due to yellow card accumulation.[31] He struggled after he returned to the team, scoring once and collecting no assists in his next eight matches. Elis ended the season on a strong note, scoring once and assisting two others in a 4–2 win over the Galaxy in the final game of the season.[32] He was named to the Team of the Week for the 4th time of the season.[33]
Elis missed the first two games of the 2020 season due to a hamstring injury he suffered during preseason. The MLS season was paused after two games due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. MLS returned to play in July with theMLS is Back Tournament.[34] On 13 July, Elis made his season debut in Houston's first game of the tournament, a 3–3 draw againstLAFC with Elis scoring once in the match. He scored again in Houston's next game, but was also sent off for two yellow cards as Houston lost 2–1 to thePortland Timbers.[35] On 25 August Elis had a goal and an assist in a 5–2 win overSporting Kansas City, but was also subbed off at halftime after hurting his back.[36] He made two substitute appearances in the Dynamo's next two matches, recording two assists in a 3–0 win overMinnesota United FC and scoring once in a 2–1 over Kansas City.[35] With transfer rumors surrounding Elis, the Dynamo held him out of their next three games. He was seen at the airport in Houston on 17 September and announced his goodbyes on social media two days later.[37][38]
On 21 September 2020, Elis moved to PortuguesePrimeira Liga clubBoavista.[39] The terms of the transfer were undisclosed, but the fee was reportedly around $1 million plus a future sell-on percentage along with performance-based add-on incentives.[40][41] Elis scored his first goal for the Portuguese outfit the following 2 November, the second goal in a 3–0 home win overBenfica.[42] On 11 November, he recorded his first assist for the club, setting upAngel Gomes in the 3–1 loss toFarense.[43] Elis would score a further four goals and record another four assists, with one of those goals coming againstPorto in a 2–2 draw.[44] On 1 May 2021, he scored a brace againstSanta Clara in a 3–3 draw, with one being nominated as the Primeira Liga Goal of the Year.[45] He finished the season with a total of 8 goals and six assists.
On 25 August 2021, Elis joinedLigue 1 clubBordeaux on loan.[46] He made his debut on 3 October in the 3–0 away defeat toMonaco, coming off the bench forSamuel Kalu in the 55th minute.[47] He scored his first goal the following 24 October in a 1–1 draw withLorient.[48] Elis would score once again the next 6 November in Bordeaux's 3–2 home loss toParis Saint-Germain.[49]
On 9 June 2022, Bordeaux announced that the option-to-buy in Elis's loan deal had been activated. During the2021–22 season with the club, he scored nine goals and delivered one assist in twenty-one appearances.[50]
On 30 January 2023, Elis joined first division clubBrest on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy in favor of the French club.[51]
After his loan to Brest ended, he returned to Girondins de Bordeaux. On 24 February 2024, during aLigue 2 game againstEn Avant Guingamp, Elis suffered a serious head injury and was induced into coma during four days.[52] The injury marked an end to hisseason, and the likelihood of Elis needing to retire from professional football was a possibility.[53] In August 2024, Bordeaux went into bankruptcy and was relegated intoNational 2, losing professional status thus ending Elis’ contract with the club.[54]
On 16 January 2025, Elis returned to his boyhood clubOlimpia after more than eight years of playing abroad, signing a one-year contract.[55] He would make his return to football and second debut with Olimpia the following 26 January, in a 2–0 home victory againstJuticalpa, coming off the bench in the 70th minute in the place ofYustin Arboleda.[56] Elis would once again put himself on the scoresheet on 26 July, where he scored againstLobos UPNFM in a 2–0 win, his first goal in almost two years since scoring for Bordeaux againstUSL Dunkerque on 19 December 2023.[57]
On 16 August 2025, Elis would return to Portugal, signing with second-tier sideCS Marítimo.[58] He made his debut for the side on 31 August, coming off the bench in a 2–0 away win againstFarense.[59]
Elis first represented Honduras at theU-17 level in a2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship qualifying match on 7 December 2012, picking up a goal in a 5–2 win overEl Salvador. In their next match, Elis scored a hat trick to help Honduras defeatCosta Rica 3–0.[4] He finished as top scorer with four goals and help Honduras finish top of the Central American group.[60] Elis featured in the2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, where he scored once and helped Honduras finish 4th. At the2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup Elis made four appearances and helped Honduras reach the quarter-finals.[61]
On 30 September 2014, Elis was called up by head coachHernán Medford to theHonduras national football team. He made his senior debut on 9 October 2014 in afriendly againstMexico, a 2–0 loss.[62]
After making four senior appearances, Elis played on the Honduras U-21 team at the2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, where he made 2 appearances as Honduras finished 4th.[61] He was also part of theHonduras U-20 team that played at the2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Elis scored four goals in six games to help Honduras to a 3rd-place finish and qualify for the2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. At the U-20 World Cup, Elis appeared in all three group games, but was unable to help Honduras advance past the group stage. Elis led theHonduras U-23 team to a second-place finish at the2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship by scoring four goals in five games, including a brace in a 2–0 semifinals win over theUnited States.[61][63] He was named to the Best XI of the tournament and finished as top scorer.[64]
Elis returned to the senior national team in December 2015. He scored his scored his first and second international goals in a friendly match againstCuba on 16 December 2015.[4] On 25 March 2016, Elis scored his first goal in a competitive senior match, scoring once in a 2–2 draw withEl Salvador in aWorld Cup qualification match.[4]
On 25 July 2016, Elis was named to the Honduras U-23 squad to play at the2016 Olympics.[65] He appeared all six of Honduras's games and scored two goals, including the winning goal in the quarterfinals match againstSouth Korea, as he helped Honduras finish in 4th place.[4]
On 29 June 2017, Elis was named to the 23 man squad for the2017 Gold Cup.[66] He made four appearances and helped Honduras reach the quarterfinals, where they fell 1–0 to Mexico.
On 6 June 2019,Fabián Coito named Elis to the 23 man squad for the2019 Gold Cup.[67] However, it was a disappointing tournament for Honduras and Elis, as he failed to score in his three appearances and Honduras finished last in their group.[61]
On 6 June 2021, Elis scored in the third place match in theinauguralCONCACAF Nations League tournament. Elis scored what seemed to be the winner againstCosta Rica in the 80th minute, butFrancisco Calvo equalized forLos Ticos five minutes after. Honduras, however, defeated Costa Rica in apenalty shoot-out to secure abronze medal.[68]
Elis was born inSan Juan Tela to Osman Elis and Yohani Martínez.[2][69] He grew up in a rough and violent neighborhood ofSan Pedro Sula after the family moved to the city when Elis was young.[2][69] His older brother, Osman Elis Martínez, is a professional footballer that last played forHonduras Progreso.[70] His father was a professional footballer; a right midfielder, who played in theHonduran second division. Elis is ofGarifuna heritage.[69]
His nickname of "La Panterita", Spanish for the little panther, is in reference to a former Honduras strikerDavid Suazo, who was known as "La Pantera" and also from San Pedro Sula. Elis is into fashion and owns over 100 pairs of shoes.[69] Elis has done charity work for his home country, such as donating computers to his old school, donating shoes to kids, and repairing local parks.[71][72][73]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olimpia | 2013–14 | Liga Nacional | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Liga Nacional | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[c] | 1 | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Liga Nacional | 35 | 19 | 2 | 1 | — | 4[c] | 2 | 41 | 22 | ||
| Total | 62 | 25 | 5 | 2 | — | 10 | 3 | 77 | 30 | |||
| Monterrey | 2016–17 | Liga MX | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Houston Dynamo (loan) | 2017 | MLS | 26 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 30 | 11 | |
| Houston Dynamo | 2018 | MLS | 30 | 11 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 11 | ||
| 2019 | MLS | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2020 | MLS | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 93 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 106 | 35 | ||
| Boavista | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 8 | ||
| Bordeaux (loan) | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 9 | ||
| Bordeaux | 2022–23 | Ligue 2 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||
| Brest (loan) | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Bordeaux | 2023–24 | Ligue 2 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 5 | ||
| Total | 96 | 23 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 103 | 23 | ||||
| Olimpia | 2024–25 | Liga Nacional | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | Liga Nacional | 3 | 3 | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Marítimo | 2025–26 | Liga Portugal 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 269 | 85 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 305 | 91 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honduras | 2014 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 60 | 13 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 December 2015 | Estadio Juan Ramón Brevé Vargas,Juticalpa, Honduras |  Cuba | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 25 March 2016 | Estadio Cuscatlán,San Salvador, El Salvador |  El Salvador | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 13 June 2017 | Estadio Rommel Fernández,Panama City, Panama |  Panama | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 1 September 2017 | Ato Boldon Stadium,Couva, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 10 October 2017 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano,San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Mexico | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 15 November 2017 | Stadium Australia,Sydney, Australia |  Australia | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 10 September 2019 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Chile | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | 17 November 2019 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Trinidad and Tobago | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A |
| 10 | 4–0 | |||||
| 11 | 6 June 2021 | Empower Field at Mile High,Denver, United States |  Costa Rica | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals |
| 12 | 12 November 2021 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Panama | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 29 June 2023 | State Farm Stadium,Glendale, United States |  Qatar | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Olimpia
Houston Dynamo
Honduras
Individual
Honduras squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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