Valencia previously played forEmelec in Ecuador, where he won the2013 Ecuadorian Serie A and was awarded theCopa Sudamericana Golden Boot in 2013. He also played forPachuca in Mexico, being awarded theLiga MX Golden Boot in the2014 Clausura tournament. He joined English clubWest Ham United for an estimated £12 million in July 2014, almost breaking the club's signing record. In August 2016, Valencia went out on loan toEverton for the season, before being sold to Mexican clubTigres UANL in July 2017. At Tigres, he won Liga MX's2017 Apertura and2019 Clausura tournaments, and finished runner-up in the2019 CONCACAF Champions League, winning the latter competition's Golden Boot. In August 2020, Valencia signed forFenerbahçe in Turkey and won theTurkish Cup in his final season, before joining Brazilian club Internacional in mid-2023.
At the international level, Valencia has earned over 100 caps for Ecuador since his debut in 2012. He represented the nation at theFIFA World Cup in2014 and2022, and theCopa América in2015,2016,2019,2021 and2024. Widely regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian players of all time, Valencia is Ecuador'sall-time top scorer with 48 goals, and has also scored a record six World Cup goals for his national team.
Enner Valencia came toGuayaquil to trial forEmelec in 2008 from Caribe Junior's youth system, the same team where Ecuador starAntonio Valencia played in his early years.[3] In 2008, he was transferred to Emelec.[3] From 2008 to early 2010 he received no opportunities in the first team, but with the arrival of the Argentinian coachJorge Sampaoli, Valencia started to receive playtime opportunities.[3] Emelec were runners-up to championsL.D.U. Quito, losing 2–1 on aggregate score.[4]
Valencia scored nine league goals in 30 league matches in 2011.[5] In November 2012, he scored five goals in five separate matches againstEl Nacional,LDU Loja,Técnico Universitario, and twice againstManta in both home and away matches, winning four of the five matches, only drawing against LDU Loja.[5] This brought his goal tally to 13 goals scored in 40 league matches played, his best season yet, but for a third season in a row, the team was runner-up to league champions and club rivalsBarcelona SC.[5]
On 7 August 2013, Valencia scored his first careerhat-trick against Peruvian sideSport Huancayo, in a 4–02013 Copa Sudamericana first round match.[5][6] He finished the season as league champions with Emelec, the club's first since 2002.[7]
After numerous rumours involving the interest ofLiga MX sidePachuca for Valencia, both parties came to terms and agreed on a transfer.[8]
On 18 January 2014, Valencia scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory againstTijuana.[9] The following week he scored two goals to in Pachuca's first away win league match against league championsClub León.[10] He finished the regular season as the top goal-scorer with 12 goals, scoring various braces for Pachuca. Valencia scored his first hat-trick againstUNAM in a 2–4 away win to advance in the2014 Liga MX Clausura play-offs.[11]
On 29 July 2014,Premier League clubWest Ham United completed the transfer of Valencia, on a five-year contract for a fee estimated at £12 million.[12] He later confirmed that he knew little about West Ham before signing and that he mainly knew of them having watchedhooligan films such as the 2005 release ofGreen Street starringElijah Wood.[13] Valencia made his West Ham debut on 16 August 2014 in a 1–0 home defeat toTottenham Hotspur coming on as an 81st-minute substitute forCarlton Cole.[14] On 27 August, he had his penalty saved byMark Howard as West Ham were knocked out at home in the second round of theLeague Cup bySheffield United.[15]Valencia's first goal for West Ham came in his full league debut, againstHull City on 15 September 2014, in a 2–2 draw.[16] The 25-yard (23 m; 75 ft) strike, timed at 61 miles per hour (98 km/h), was described by journalistHenry Winter ofThe Daily Telegraph as an "exceptional goal".[17] Valencia went on to score two more goals for West Ham in the following weeks, including a header in a 3–1 away win atBurnley,[18] and a goal in a 2–2 draw withStoke City.[19]
His first match of his second season was on 30 July 2015 in theUEFA Europa Leaguethird qualifying round first leg at home againstAstra Giurgiu; he headed West Ham into the lead but was one of two players substituted through injury in the first half as the team eventually drew 2–2.[20] It was confirmed that he had suffered "significant" injuries to his right knee and ankle,[21] and was ruled out for twelve weeks.[22] Valencia scored his first league goals of the 2015–16 season with two in a 3–1 comeback win againstAFC Bournemouth on 12 January 2016, including a powerfully hit free-kick.[23]
On 31 August 2016, Valencia signed forEverton on a season-long loan, with the option of a permanent £14.5 million move in the summer of 2017.[24] Valencia scored his first league goal for Everton when he fired home from close range in a 3–0 win againstSouthampton on 2 January 2017.[25]
On 28 August 2020, Valencia signed forSüper Lig clubFenerbahçe on a free transfer.[27] In his first year with the team, he scored 12 goals in 34 matches of2020–21 Süper Lig.
On 26 August 2021, he made his firsthat-trick with the team againstHJK Helsinki in2021–22 UEFA Europa League season and Fenerbahçe won the game 5-2[28] He scored 13 goals in all competitives of 33 matches.
He made a very strong start to the 2022–23 season with coachJorge Jesus and recorded braces againstÜmraniyespor,Kasımpaşa andAdana Demirspor in his first three matches of the season. On 15 January 2023, he also scored a brace againstGaziantep.[29]
On 9 October 2022, he scored his first hat-trick in a league match againstKaragümrük in2022–23 Süper Lig season and Fenerbahçe won the match 5–4[30] and on 29 January 2023, he scored 4 goals againstKasımpaşa and helped Fenerbahçe to a 5–1 victory.[31]
On 12 June 2023, Valencia signed a three-year contract withSérie A clubInternacional on a free transfer, signing with theColorado club for three years.[32] He made his debut for the team on July 9, starting in a 2-0 loss toFluminense atMaracanã. The player had a rather discreet performance, without any shots on goal and was substituted at halftime.
He scored his first goal for the club on August 1st, but couldn't prevent the comeback defeat of 2-1 toRiver Plate at Monumental de Nuñez, in a match valid for the Round of 16 of theLibertadores.
After advancing against River Plate, Internacional traveled to La Paz to faceBolívar in a quarter-final match of the Copa Libertadores. At the 16th minute of the game, Enner received a good pass fromAlan Patrick and advanced alone against the Bolivian team's defenders, successfully finishing with a powerful and unstoppable shot into the lower right corner of the goalkeeper Lampe. The forward emerged as a hero in the Colorado's victory in high altitude, alongside Uruguayan goalkeeperRochet, who made important saves.
Valencia initially began his career as awinger, but was converted to play as astriker by Emelec coachGustavo Quinteros.Reinaldo Rueda started experimenting with Valencia as a striker after the untimely death ofChristian Benítez.[33] After making three appearances in the2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, he scored his first international goal in a 2–2 draw against Honduras on 19 November 2013. He continued his good form in 2014, scoring in three of Ecuador's four pre-tournament friendlies. On 5 March, he scored, assisted a goal and won apenalty kick asLa Tri came from 3–0 down to defeatAustralia 4–3.[2] He then scored the team's only goal in a 3–1 loss againstMexico, and gave them an early lead in a 2–2 draw withEngland inMiami.[34]
In June 2014, Valencia was named in Ecuador's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[35] On 15 June, he made hisFIFA World Cup debut in the team's opening match againstSwitzerland at theEstádio Nacional Mané Garrincha inBrasília, opening the scoring with a header in a 2–1 defeat.[36] In Ecuador's second match, Valencia scored both goals to defeat Honduras 2–1 inCuritiba.[37] He continued his good form after theFIFA World Cup, scoring the third goal of a 4–0 victory againstBolivia. On 10 October, Valencia again netted for Ecuador in the 88th minute over theUnited States, which ended in a 1–1 draw. His swerving, right-footed shot took a right turn on its way towards the goal, making it impossible for goalkeeperBrad Guzan to stop.[38]
In Ecuador's secondgroup match at the2015 Copa América in Chile, Valencia successfully converted a penalty to Bolivia, but the kick had to be taken again due to an opponent's infringement; the re-take was saved byRomel Quiñónez. He later scored from close range, but Ecuador lost 2–3 nonetheless.[39] Four days later inRancagua, Valencia set upMiller Bolaños' opener and scored Ecuador's second goal as they won 2–1 against Mexico, eliminating the opponents.[40]
On 8 October 2021, in a2022 World Cup qualification match against Bolivia, Valencia scored his 32nd and 33rd international goals, becoming the Ecuador national team's all time top goal scorer.[41]
Valencia was named in the Ecuadorian squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[42] In the opening game of the2022 FIFA World Cup, Valencia scored the first goal of the tournament with apenalty. Valencia scored both of Ecuador's goals in the same match, their 2–0 win over tournament hostsQatar in the opening match at the2022 World Cup.[43] In doing so, he became Ecuador's record goalscorer at World Cup final tournaments, with five goals.[44] On 25 November 2022, Valencia scored in a 1–1 tie against theNetherlands, thus becoming the first South American player to score six consecutive times in the World Cup.[45] Valencia scored the only goal in the victory over Peru on 10 September 2024 for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He gained his 100th cap on 9 September 2025, becoming the seventh Ecuadorian to do so.[46]
Valencia hails fromEsmeraldas Province and is ofAfro-Ecuadorian descent. He came from a poor family and when he arrived at Emelec, he had to sleep in rudimentary lodgings at the club'sEstadio George Capwell, as he had no money to stay anywhere else and at times struggled to buy enough to eat.[33] In October 2016, a warrant was issued for his arrest in Ecuador for unpaid child support.[47] In August 2020, Valencia's sister, Erci was taken hostage inSan Lorenzo by an armed gang and held for 10 days before being released unharmed.[48]
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