Antonio Valencia facts for kids
Valencia in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 August 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lago Agrio, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Right winger, right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2001 | Caribe Junior | ||
| 2001–2003 | El Nacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2005 | El Nacional | 88 | (12) |
| 2005–2008 | Villarreal | 2 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Recreativo (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | → Wigan Athletic (loan) | 37 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Wigan Athletic | 47 | (6) |
| 2009–2019 | Manchester United | 241 | (17) |
| 2019–2020 | LDU Quito | 20 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Querétaro | 15 | (1) |
| Total | 467 | (38) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2019 | Ecuador | 99 | (11) |
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Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia, born on 4 August 1985, is a former professional footballer from Ecuador. He played mostly on the right side of the field. He started as a right winger and later became a right-back. Many people consider him one of the best Ecuadorian footballers ever.
Antonio Valencia started his career in Ecuador with El Nacional. He played over 80 games for them and helped them win the Ecuadorian Serie A league title. In 2005, he moved to Spain to play for La Liga team Villarreal. He didn't play much there and was loaned to other clubs. First, he played for Recreativo in the 2005–06 season. Then, he moved to the English Premier League club Wigan Athletic from 2006 to 2008. Wigan Athletic later bought him permanently in January 2008.
His great playing at Wigan Athletic caught the eye of bigger clubs. In June 2009, he joined Manchester United. This was a very important part of his career. He was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year in his first season. With Manchester United, he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three FA Community Shields, and the UEFA Europa League. He even became the captain of the team in his last season there. After ten years with United, Valencia went back to Ecuador in July 2019 to play for LDU Quito. He won the first-ever Copa Ecuador with them. He announced he was retiring from football in May 2021.
Valencia also played for his country, Ecuador, many times. He made his debut in 2004. He played for Ecuador in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 Copa América, the 2011 Copa América, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Copa América Centenario, and the 2019 Copa América. He played 99 games for Ecuador and scored 11 goals.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Antonio Valencia was born on 4 August 1985 in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. This area is in the Amazon rainforest. When he was young, Antonio helped his mother sell drinks outside the local football stadium. He also collected empty bottles for his father to sell. He used to play football barefoot on a field near his home, which he shared with his parents and five siblings.
When Antonio was 11, a scout named Pedro Perlaza saw him playing. He signed Antonio to a local sports academy. At 16, Antonio decided to leave home to play for El Nacional, a military-backed club in Quito. Only his mother and older brother knew about his decision. His brother paid for his eight-hour bus trip. Antonio started playing as a central midfielder and earned about 50 dollars a month.
Club Career Highlights
Starting at El Nacional
Antonio Valencia began his professional career at El Nacional. Within a year, he quickly moved up to the under-20s team. There, he played alongside another famous striker, Christian "Chucho" Benítez. Antonio made his first team debut with his idol, Édison Méndez. In 2005, he helped El Nacional win the Clausura Tournament, which was his first club title. This success got him noticed by the national team and clubs in Spain.
Moving to Spain: Villarreal and Recreativo
In 2005, Valencia moved to the Spanish club Villarreal. However, he found it hard to get into the main team. To gain more experience, he was loaned to Recreativo. While playing for Recreativo, Antonio helped them get promoted to La Liga, Spain's top football league.
Time at Wigan Athletic
On 3 August 2006, Antonio Valencia joined the English Premier League club Wigan Athletic. He first joined on a one-year loan. He played his first game for Wigan on 19 August 2006. His first goal for Wigan was in a 4–0 win against Manchester City on 21 October 2006.
His loan was extended, and on 18 January 2008, Wigan bought him permanently for about £5 million. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. Valencia scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 2–0 win over Derby County. He also scored two goals in a 2–0 win against Aston Villa on 3 May 2008.
In the next season, he scored in a big 5–0 win against Hull City. He also scored against Manchester City again. Wigan's manager, Steve Bruce, said that Valencia even turned down an offer to join Real Madrid in January 2009. In early June 2009, Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, said he would not stop Valencia from leaving the club if he wanted to.
Joining Manchester United
Early Success and Awards (2009–2012)
On 30 June 2009, Antonio Valencia became the first new player for Manchester United that summer. He signed a four-year contract for a fee believed to be around £16 million. He made his debut and scored his first goal for United in a pre-season game against Boca Juniors. His first official game for Manchester United was in the 2009 FA Community Shield. On 17 October 2009, he scored his first goal in a league game against Bolton Wanderers. A few days later, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against CSKA Moscow.
Valencia helped Manchester United win the 2010 League Cup Final by setting up the winning goal. He was named the best player of that match. In his first season, he was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year, which is a big honor.
On 8 August 2010, Valencia scored United's first goal in their 3–1 win over Chelsea in the 2010 Community Shield. Sadly, on 14 September 2010, during a Champions League game, Valencia broke his left ankle. He had surgery and was out of action for several months. He returned to training in February 2011 and played his first game back in March 2011.
He scored his first league goal of that season in April 2011. Days later, he scored in United's big 4–1 win against Schalke 04 in the Champions League semi-final. He became the first player from Ecuador to win a Premier League medal in the 2010–11 season. Valencia also played in the 2011 Champions League Final against Barcelona.
In August 2011, Valencia signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United. He missed the start of the 2011–12 season due to an ankle injury he got while playing for Ecuador. He returned to play in September 2011. He scored his first goal of the season in a League Cup game against Aldershot Town. He also scored in a Champions League game against Oțelul Galați. On 26 December 2011, he scored in a 5–0 win against Wigan Athletic. On 22 January 2012, he scored against Arsenal and helped set up another goal. On 2 April 2012, in his 100th game for the club, he scored a great goal against Blackburn Rovers and set up another.
For his amazing performance in the 2011–12 season, Valencia won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award and the Manchester United Players' Player of the Year award. His goal against Blackburn Rovers also won the Manchester United Goal of the Season award.
In July 2012, Antonio Valencia was given the famous number 7 shirt at Manchester United. This shirt had been worn by legendary players like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Switching to Right-Back (2013–2016)
On 17 April 2013, Valencia scored his first league goal of the season against West Ham United. On 22 April 2013, Valencia won his second Premier League title with Manchester United.
After a difficult season wearing the number 7 shirt, Valencia went back to his old number 25 shirt. He started the Champions League season with a goal against Bayer Leverkusen. He also scored against Fulham and again against Bayer Leverkusen. In January 2014, he scored against Swansea City. In June 2014, he signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2018.
When new manager Louis van Gaal arrived, Valencia started playing more as a right-back or right-wing back. He had played in these positions sometimes before under other managers.
On 25 October 2015, Valencia had a foot injury that needed surgery, keeping him out for at least four months. He returned to play in March 2016 in the Europa League. Valencia played the entire game as a right-back in the 2016 FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace, which United won 2–1.
Final Years with United (2017–2019)
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Manchester United extended Valencia's contract until 2018. On 19 March 2017, Valencia played his 200th league game for United and scored a goal in a 3–1 win over Middlesbrough. After captaining United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final, his contract was extended again until June 2019. On 17 September 2017, Valencia scored his first goal of the season with a powerful shot from 20 yards. On 14 October, he captained the team in his 300th game for Manchester United. He scored again in January 2018 against Stoke City.
At the start of the 2018–19 season, manager José Mourinho announced that Valencia would be the club's main captain. In March 2019, Manchester United decided not to extend his contract, ending his 10-year time with the club in June. Valencia left Manchester United having played 325 Premier League games, which is a record for a South American player.
Returning to Ecuador and Retirement
After leaving Manchester United, Antonio Valencia joined LDU Quito in Ecuador for free. He played his first game for them on 18 July 2019.
On 27 November 2020, Valencia signed with the Mexican club Querétaro.
On 12 May 2021, Antonio Valencia announced that he was retiring from professional football.
International Career with Ecuador
Antonio Valencia made his first appearance for the Ecuador national team in 2004.
On 27 March 2005, he scored his first two goals for his country in a World Cup qualifying win against Paraguay. Three days later, he scored again in a qualifying match against Peru. Valencia played in all of Ecuador's games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was even nominated for a special award for the best young player in the World Cup.
On 27 June 2007, Valencia scored Ecuador's first goal in the 2007 Copa América tournament. He also scored in World Cup qualifying games in 2009 against Bolivia and Uruguay.
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In June 2014, Valencia was part of Ecuador's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He captained the team in a friendly match against England. During that game, he had a disagreement with an opponent and both players were sent off. Valencia later apologized for his reaction. He captained Ecuador in all three of their World Cup matches that year.
Valencia missed the 2015 Copa América because he needed ankle surgery. He was chosen for the Ecuador squad for the 2016 Copa América Centenario. On 12 June 2016, he scored in Ecuador's 4–0 victory over Haiti.
Personal Life
Antonio Valencia is married to Zoila, and they have a daughter named Domenica, who was born during the 2006 World Cup. Antonio started taking English lessons while he was at Wigan Athletic. When he moved to Manchester United, he took lessons almost every day. His former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, described Valencia as a quiet and shy person. Antonio's older brother, Éder, was also a professional footballer.
Antonio Valencia has a tattoo on his arm that honors his former teammate and close friend Christian "Chucho" Benítez, who passed away in 2013.
Honours
El Nacional
- Ecuadorian Serie A: 2005
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2010–11, 2012–13
- FA Cup: 2015–16; runner-up: 2017–18
- Football League/EFL Cup: 2009–10, 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2010, 2013, 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2010–11
LDU Quito
- Copa Ecuador: 2019
- Supercopa Ecuador: 2020
Individual
- Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2010
- PFA Team of the Year: 2009–10 Premier League
- Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2011–12
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
- Premier League Goal of the Month: September 2017
- Manchester United Players' Player of the Year: 2011–12, 2016–17
- Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2011–12 (vs. Blackburn Rovers, 2 April 2012)
Records
- Guinness World Record for the most goals scored from a corner in 1 minute: 6 goals (shared with Matteo Darmian)
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Valencia para niños
