Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known asAntonio Valencia (Spanish pronunciation:[anˈtonjoβaˈlensja];[A] born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professionalfootballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as aright winger, before developing into aright-back. He is regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time.
After progressing through the youth system atEl Nacional, Valencia became a first team regular and made over 80 appearances for the club. He won theEcuadorian Serie A with them before signing forLa Liga sideVillarreal in 2005. He only made two league appearances for the Spanish side in between loan spells atRecreativo for the2005–06 season and later EnglishPremier League clubWigan Athletic from 2006 to 2008. Wigan Athletic later signed Valencia on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee in January 2008.
His performances for Wigan Athletic soon attracted attention from several high-profile clubs, and he signed forManchester United in June 2009. His time there established him as one of the greatest Ecuadorian players of all time, as Valencia was voted into thePFA Team of the Year in hisdebut season, and went on to win two Premier League titles, anFA Cup, twoLeague Cups, threeFA Community Shields and theUEFA Europa League,captaining the club in his final season. After ten years with United, Valencia returned to Ecuador in July 2019, signing withLDU Quito, with whom he won the inauguralCopa Ecuador in his first season. He announced his retirement in May 2021.[5]
Valencia was born on 4 August 1985 in Lago Agrio, near the city ofNueva Loja,Ecuador, which is located in theAmazon rainforest.[7] Valencia helped his mother sell drinks outside the stadium of his local club at Lago Agrio and would then search for empty bottles for his father to sell to a bottle-deposit in the capital,Quito.[8] Valencia used to play barefoot[9] on the pitch next to the bungalow he shared with his parents, five brothers and sister.[10]
When Valencia was aged 11, scout Pedro Perlaza spotted him playing on a dusty field near his home, and signed him to the local FA-run sports academy inSucumbíos.[9] At the age of 16, Valencia did not tell his father he left home to take up an offer to play forEl Nacional, the military-backed club in Quito.[11] Nobody knew about Valencia's decision, except his mother and his elder brother, Carlos Alfredo, who paid the fare for his eight-hour bus journey.[12] Valencia began incentral midfield and on a salary of 50 dollars a month.[11]
Valencia started his career at El Nacional and within a year he was fast-tracked into the under-20s, where he played alongside strikerChristian "Chucho"’ Benítez.[citation needed] Valencia made his debut for El Nacional alongside his idolÉdison Méndez.[citation needed] Valencia won his first club title as part of the El Nacional team that won the 2005 Clausura Tournament, earning him the attention of both the national team's manager and Spanish clubs.
Valencia moved to Spanish clubVillarreal in 2005.[13] After failing to break into the first-team, however, he was loaned toRecreativo to gain experience.[14] Valencia helped Recreativo gain promotion toLa Liga as they finished the season top of the table.[citation needed][15]
On 3 August 2006, Valencia joined EnglishPremier League clubWigan Athletic, initially on a year-long loan deal.[16] He made his debut for Wigan on 19 August 2006, in a 2–1 loss away toNewcastle United.[17] His first goal for Wigan came in a 4–0 home win overManchester City on 21 October 2006.[18] Valencia returned after a three-month absence as he played 78 minutes of a 2–0 home loss toEverton on 21 January 2007.[19] Valencia was sent off for the first time for Wigan on 9 April 2007, receiving a straight red card for a two-footed challenge onWilfred Bouma during a 1–1 away draw againstAston Villa.[20]
The loan was extended into the following season, and on 18 January 2008, he transferred for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[21] The deal was said to be worth around£5 million.[22] Valencia scored his first goal of the2007–08 season in a 2–0 win overDerby County on 23 February 2008,[23] before netting his first Wiganbrace in a 2–0 away victory over Aston Villa on 3 May 2008.[24]
Valencia's first goal of thefollowing season came in Wigan's 5–0 away victory overHull City on 30 August 2008.[25] He then grabbed a goal in the 2–1 home win over Manchester City on 28 September 2008,[26] but followed it up by receiving a red card in the 3–2 loss atLiverpool on 18 October 2008.[27] Valencia scored his final goal for Wigan on 13 December 2008, as he inspired them to a 3–0 victory overBlackburn Rovers.[28] Wigan bossSteve Bruce confirmed that Valencia turned down the chance to joinReal Madrid in January 2009.[29] On 9 February 2009, Valencia was ruled out of action for three weeks after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury.[30] In early June 2009, Wigan chairmanDave Whelan announced that he would not force Valencia to stay at the club.[31]
Valencia playing againstCSKA Moscow during his first season at Manchester United
On 30 June 2009, Valencia became Manchester United's first summer signing, having cut his holiday short to have a medical with the club. He signed a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be in the region of £16 million.[32]
On 29 July 2009, he made his debut for United and scored his first goal in the process, netting United's second in a 2–1 pre-season victory overBoca Juniors in theAudi Cup.[33] He made his competitive debut for Manchester United in the2009 FA Community Shield, when he came on for the injuredNani in the 62nd minute.[34] On 17 October 2009, he scored his first competitive goal for the club, scoring United's second in a 2–1 league victory againstBolton Wanderers.[35] His firstUEFA Champions League goal followed four days later in a 1–0 away victory againstCSKA Moscow.[36]
Valencia taking a corner kick in the 2–2 draw away toFulham on 22 August 2010
On 8 August 2010, Valencia scored United's first goal in their 3–1 win over Chelsea in the2010 Community Shield.[39] During a Champions League game againstRangers on 14 September 2010, Valencia suffered a break to his left ankle. An operation the morning after the match showed that his left ankle was fractured and dislocated, and that his ankle ligaments were damaged. On 28 February 2011, Valencia returned to training with Manchester United's first team.
He played his first game back from injury againstArsenal in theFA Cup sixth round on 12 March 2011. On 9 April 2011, he scored his first league goal of the season as he netted the second of a 2–0 home win overFulham. Days later, he scored the first goal in United's 4–1 victory against the German teamSchalke 04 in the second leg of the semi-final of the2010–11 UEFA Champions League, game in which he was selected asplayer of the match.[40] He became the first Ecuadorian player to win a Premier League medal, in the2010–11 season.[41] Valencia was a starter in United's 3–1 defeat toBarcelona in the2011 Champions League Final atWembley Stadium.[42]
On 1 August 2011, Valencia agreed a new four-year deal with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2015.[43] Prior to the start of the2011–12 season, Valencia picked up an ankle injury on international duty with Ecuador at theCopa América during the summer. He missed United's entire pre-season tour of the United States because of the injury. He also missed the first month of the season because of a lack of match fitness. Valencia made his first start of the season away atBenfica in the first group stage match of theUEFA Champions League. On 18 September 2011, he returned to Premier League action, replacing the injuredChris Smalling at right-back in the 3–1 win againstChelsea. He then continued to play right-back in the next three games againstLeeds United in theLeague Cup, away atStoke City, and home againstNorwich City in the Premier League. Valencia scored his first goal of the season, in a fourth round League Cup tie againstAldershot Town, receiving the ball in the middle of the park and then turning and firing in from 25-yards to seal a 3–0 victory.
Valencia scored his second goal of the season, the opening goal in Manchester United's Champions League fixture againstOțelul Galați. The game finished 2–0. On 26 December 2011, Valencia scored the fourth goal for Manchester United in a 5–0 home win againstWigan Athletic. He received the ball on the right hand edge of the penalty area and rifled a shot across goal and into the far corner. On 22 January 2012, Valencia scored the first goal againstArsenal with a header, before later setting upDanny Welbeck to win the game 2–1. On 2 April 2012, in his 100th appearance for the club in all competitions,[44] Valencia scored the first goal in a 2–0 win againstBlackburn Rovers, powerfully curling the ball aroundPaul Robinson and inside the far corner.[45] Five minutes later, Valencia set up the second goal forAshley Young.[45]
Valencia received theSir Matt Busby Player of the Year[46] and the Manchester United Players' Player of the Year awards[47] for his contributions in the 2011–12 season. He also won the Manchester United Goal of the Season award for his goal against Blackburn Rovers on 2 April 2012.[48]
Valencia in training on a pre-season tour of South Africa in July 2012
On 17 April 2013, Valencia scored his first league goal of the season, againstWest Ham United. On 22 April 2013, Valencia won his second Premier League title after Manchester United defeatedAston Villa in a 3–0 home win.
After an indifferent2012–13 season wearing the number 7 shirt, Valencia returned to his former number 25 shirt.[50] Valencia started the season with a goal againstSevilla inRio Ferdinand's testimonial atOld Trafford in a 3–1 defeat on 9 August 2013. Valencia subsequently appeared in theCommunity Shield against Wigan coming on as a substitute forWilfried Zaha in the 62nd minute. Valencia started theChampions League campaign with a goal againstBayer Leverkusen the fourth in a 4–2 home victory as well as givingRobin van Persie an assist for the first on that night on 18 September 2013. He got his first goal of the Premier League season against Fulham on 2 November 2013, the first in a 3–1 away win. Valencia scored the first goal in the 5–0 away victory to Manchester United against Bayer Leverkusen in the group stage of Champions League on 27 November 2013. On 11 January 2014, Valencia scored in the 47th minute againstSwansea City in a 2–0 home win. On 21 June 2014, he signed a three-year contract extension, which included an option to extend the deal until June 2018.[51]
The arrival of new managerLouis van Gaal led to Valencia being deployed in both the right-back and right-wing back positions, where he had occasionally played under both Sir Alex Ferguson andDavid Moyes.[52][53] He made his first start of the season in this position, assistingJuan Mata in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland on 24 August 2014.[54]
On 25 October 2015, Valencia suffered a foot injury in a 0–0 draw with Manchester City, which required surgery and ruled him out for at least four months.[55] He made his return on 17 March 2016 in theEuropa League Round of 16 second leg against Liverpool, ending in a 1–1 draw.[56] Valencia played the full 120 minutes at right-back in the2016 FA Cup Final againstCrystal Palace on 21 May 2016, in which United won 2–1 after extra-time.[57]
Manchester United triggered a one-year extension in Valencia's contract on 17 January 2017, keeping him at the club until 2018.[58] On 19 March 2017, Valencia made his 200th league appearance for United and scored in injury time, after goalkeeperVíctor Valdés slipped, to complete a 3–1 victory overMiddlesbrough.[59] On 26 May 2017, two days after captaining United in the2017 UEFA Europa League Final, his contract at the club was extended until June 2019, with an option to extend for a further year.[60] On 17 September 2017, Valencia scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 win against Everton with a 20-yard half-volley.[61] Later on 14 October, Valencia captained the team in his 300th appearance as Manchester United drew 0–0 atLiverpool.[62] After being ruled out for four weeks with a hamstring injury, Valencia returned to action as he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 home victory against Stoke City in January 2018.[63]
At the beginning of the2018–19 season, and after the retirement ofMichael Carrick, Manchester United managerJosé Mourinho announced Valencia would be the club's first captain.[64] In March 2019, Manchester United declined to take up the option to extend Valencia's contract by an extra year, bringing to an end his 10-year spell with the club when his contract expired in June.[65] Valencia leftManchester United having registered 325Premier League appearances, which remains a record for a South American player.[66]
After being released by Manchester United,LDU Quito signed Valencia on a free transfer.[67] He made his debut for the club in a 1–0 victory overAmérica de Quito in theEcuadorian Serie A on 18 July 2019.[68]
He made his senior international debut for Ecuador in 2004.[71]
On 27 March 2005, he scored his first two international goals, coming in a 5–2World Cup qualifying win againstParaguay.[72] Three days later he scored again in a qualifying match, this time netting in 2–2 draw away toPeru.[73] Valencia played in all of Ecuador's2006 FIFA World Cup matches, and was chosen as a nominee for FIFA's ideal 11 team, which recognises the top stars for every position in the World Cup.[7] He was also shortlisted as one of the six potential candidates for theGillette Best Young Player award.[74] An email broadly circulated in England encouraged votes for Valencia, in an attempt to preventCristiano Ronaldo from winning.[75] Valencia ended up receiving the greatest number of votes in the online poll,[76] but since the award's winner is determined by a combination of the fan vote and a judging panel, the award was eventually given toLukas Podolski.
On 27 June 2007, Valencia netted Ecuador's first goal of their2007 Copa América campaign, however they eventually lost the match 3–2 toChile and finished the tournament bottom of their group.[77] Valencia received hs first red card for Ecuador on 12 October 2008, during a 1–0 victory over Chile in aWorld Cup qualifier.[78] On 9 September 2009, Valencia scored his first 2010 World Cup qualification goal, netting in a 3–1 away victory overBolivia.[79] On 10 October 2009, he netted for the second qualifier in a row, this time netting Ecuador's single goal in a 2–1 defeat to the hands ofUruguay.[80]
On 3 July 2011, in a match againstParaguay at the2011 Copa América, he suffered a sprained left ankle and was forced off at half-time.[81]
In June 2014, Valencia was named in Ecuador's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[82] In a preparation match, he captained the team to a 2–2 draw withEngland at theSun Life Stadium inMiami. During the match, he was fouled byRaheem Sterling and responded by shoving Sterling and grabbing him by the throat. RefereeJair Marrufo decided to send off both Valencia and Sterling.[83] Valencia later apologized for his reaction.[84][85] Valencia captainedLa Tri during all three of their matches at the World Cup and was sent off for a foul onLucas Digne during their final game againstFrance, a goalless draw at theMaracanã which saw his team eliminated.[86]
Valencia and his wife, Zoila, have a daughter named Domenica,[90] who was born during the2006 World Cup.[citation needed] Along with former Wigan Athletic teammatesMaynor Figueroa andWilson Palacios, Valencia began taking English lessons.[citation needed] Whilst at Wigan his English lessons would be once a week, however since his move to Manchester United they were sometimes every day.[11] Former Manchester United managerSir Alex Ferguson described Valencia as a quiet and shy boy.[91] His older brother,Éder, was also a professional footballer who played forIndependiente José Terán in Ecuador.[92]
Valencia also has a tattoo on his upper arm paying tribute to former international teammate and close friendChristian "Chucho" Benítez, who died in 2013.[93][94]
^Bailey, Richard (9 February 2009)."Valencia blow for Latics".Sky Sports. bSkyb.Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved9 February 2009.
^abc"Valencia, Antonio".National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved11 February 2019.
^"Ecuador 5–2 Paraguay".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 March 2005. Archived fromthe original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved25 March 2005.
^"Peru 2–2 Ecuador".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 30 March 2005. Archived fromthe original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved30 March 2005.
^"Ecuador 1–0 Chile".Soccernet.espn. ESPN Soccernet. 12 October 2008. Archived fromthe original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved12 October 2008.
^"Bolivia 1–3 Ecuador".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 9 September 2009. Archived fromthe original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved9 September 2009.
^"Ecuador 1–2 Uruguay".FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 10 October 2009. Archived fromthe original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved10 October 2009.
.JPG)
.jpg)
