Antonio Valencia

Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, known as Antonio Valencia (born 4 August 1985), is an Ecuadorian former professional footballer who played primarily as a right-sided player throughout his career, initially as a right winger, before developing into a right-back.

He is regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian footballers of all time.

After progressing through the youth system at El Nacional, Valencia became a first team regular and made over 80 appearances for the club.

Valencia was born on 4 August 1985 in Lago Agrio, near the city of Nueva Loja, Ecuador, which is located in the Amazon rainforest.

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.

Valencia used to play barefoot on the pitch next to the bungalow he shared with his parents, five brothers and sister.

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 in Sucumbíos.

At the age of 16, Valencia did not tell his father he left home to take up an offer to play for El Nacional, the military-backed club in Quito.

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.

Valencia began in central midfield and on a salary of 50 dollars a month.

Valencia started his career at El Nacional and within a year he was fast-tracked into the under-20s, where he played alongside striker Christian "Chucho"’ Benítez.

Valencia made his debut for El Nacional alongside his idol Édison Méndez.

Valencia made his Ecuador debut in 2004 and has represented his country at 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.

Valencia won 99 caps and scored 11 goals for his country.

He won the Ecuadorian Serie A with them before signing for La Liga side Villarreal in 2005.

He only made two league appearances for the Spanish side in between loan spells at Recreativo for the 2005–06 season and later English Premier League club Wigan Athletic from 2006 to 2008.

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 club Villarreal in 2005.

After failing to break into the first-team, however, he was loaned to Recreativo to gain experience.

Valencia helped Recreativo gain promotion to La Liga as they finished the season top of the table.

On 3 August 2006, Valencia joined English Premier League club Wigan Athletic, initially on a year-long loan deal.

He made his debut for Wigan on 19 August 2006, in a 2–1 loss away to Newcastle United.

His first goal for Wigan came in a 4–0 home win over Manchester City on 21 October 2006.

Valencia returned after a three-month absence as he played 78 minutes of a 2–0 home loss to Everton on 21 January 2007.

Valencia was sent off for the first time for Wigan on 9 April 2007, receiving a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on Wilfred Bouma during a 1–1 away draw against Aston Villa.

Wigan Athletic later signed Valencia on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee in January 2008.

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.

The deal was said to be worth around £5 million.

Valencia scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 2–0 win over Derby County on 23 February 2008, before netting his first Wigan brace in a 2–0 away victory over Aston Villa on 3 May 2008.

Valencia's first goal of the following season came in Wigan's 5–0 away victory over Hull City on 30 August 2008.

He then grabbed a goal in the 2–1 home win over Manchester City on 28 September 2008, but followed it up by receiving a red card in the 3–2 loss at Liverpool on 18 October 2008.

Valencia scored his final goal for Wigan on 13 December 2008, as he inspired them to a 3–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

His performances for Wigan Athletic soon attracted attention from several high-profile clubs, and he signed for Manchester United in June 2009.

His time there established him as one of the greatest Ecuadorian players of all time, as Valencia was voted into the PFA Team of the Year in his debut season, and went on to win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three FA Community Shields and the UEFA Europa League, captaining the club in his final season.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce confirmed that Valencia turned down the chance to join Real Madrid in January 2009.

On 9 February 2009, Valencia was ruled out of action for three weeks after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

In early June 2009, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan announced that he would not force Valencia to stay at the club.

On 30 June 2009, Valencia became Manchester United's first summer signing, having cut his holiday short to have a medical with the club.

After ten years with United, Valencia returned to Ecuador in July 2019, signing with LDU Quito, with whom he won the inaugural Copa Ecuador in his first season.

He announced his retirement in May 2021.