Enner Valencia

Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra (born 4 November 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Internacional and captains the Ecuador national team.

He finished the season as league champions with Emelec, the club's first since 2002.

After numerous rumours involving the interest of Liga MX side Pachuca for Valencia, both parties came to terms and agreed on a transfer.

He later confirmed that he knew little about West Ham before signing and that he mainly knew of them having watched Hooligan films such as the 2005 release of Green Street starring Elijah Wood.

Valencia came to Guayaquil to trial for Emelec in 2008 from Caribe Junior's youth system, the same team where Ecuador star Antonio Valencia played in his early years.

In 2008, he was transferred to Emelec.

From 2008 to early 2010 he received no opportunities in the first team, but with the arrival of the Argentinian coach Jorge Sampaoli, Valencia started to receive playtime opportunities.

Emelec were runners-up to champions L.D.U. Quito, losing 2–1 on aggregate score.

Valencia scored nine league goals in 30 league matches in 2011.

At the international level, Valencia has earned over 70 caps for Ecuador since his debut in 2012.

In November 2012, he scored five goals in five separate matches against El Nacional, LDU Loja, Técnico Universitario, and twice against Manta in both home and away matches, winning four of the five matches, only drawing against LDU Loja.

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 rivals Barcelona SC.

He previously played for Emelec in Ecuador, where he won the 2013 Ecuadorian Serie A and was awarded the Copa Sudamericana Golden Boot in 2013.

On 7 August 2013, Valencia scored his first career hat-trick against Peruvian side Sport Huancayo, in a 4–0 2013 Copa Sudamericana first round match.

Valencia also played for Pachuca in Mexico, being awarded the Liga MX Golden Boot in the 2014 Clausura tournament.

He joined English club West Ham United for an estimated £12 million in July 2014, almost breaking the club's signing record.

He represented the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2022, and the Copa América in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021.

Widely regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian players of all time, Valencia is Ecuador's all-time top goalscorer with 40 goals, and holds the record for the most goals scored in the World Cup for his national team, with six.

On 18 January 2014, Valencia scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory against Tijuana.

The following week he scored two goals to in Pachuca's first away win league match against league champions Club León.

He finished the regular season as the top goal-scorer with 12 goals, scoring various braces for Pachuca.

Valencia scored his first hat-trick against UNAM in a 2–4 away win to advance in the 2014 Liga MX Clausura play-offs.

On 29 July 2014, Premier League club West Ham United completed the transfer of Valencia, on a five-year contract for a fee estimated at £12 million.

Valencia made his West Ham debut on 16 August 2014 in a 1–0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Carlton Cole.

On 27 August, he had his penalty saved by Mark Howard as West Ham were knocked out at home in the second round of the League Cup by Sheffield United.

Valencia's first goal for West Ham came in his full league debut, against Hull City on 15 September 2014, in a 2–2 draw.

The 25 yd strike, timed at 61 mph, was described by journalist Henry Winter of The Daily Telegraph as an "exceptional goal".

Valencia went on to score two more goals for West Ham in the following weeks, including a header in a 3–1 away win at Burnley, and a goal in a 2–2 draw with Stoke City.

His first match of his second season was on 30 July 2015 in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg at home against Astra 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.

It was confirmed that he had suffered "significant" injuries to his right knee and ankle, and was ruled out for twelve weeks.

In August 2016, Valencia went out on loan to Everton for the season, before being sold to Mexican club Tigres UANL in July 2017.

Valencia scored his first league goals of the 2015–16 season with two in a 3–1 comeback win against AFC Bournemouth on 12 January 2016, including a powerfully hit free-kick.

On 31 August 2016, Valencia signed for Everton on a season-long loan, with the option of a permanent £14.5 million move in the summer of 2017.

At Tigres, he won Liga MX's 2017 Apertura and 2019 Clausura tournaments, and finished runner-up in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, winning the latter competition's Golden Boot.

Valencia scored his first league goal for Everton when he fired home from close range in a 3–0 win against Southampton on 2 January 2017.

On 13 July 2017, Valencia signed for Tigres UANL for a fee of 4.2 million.

In August 2020, Valencia signed for Fenerbahçe in Turkey and won the Turkish Cup in his final season before joining Brazilian club Internacional in mid-2023.

On 28 August 2020, Valencia signed for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe on a free transfer.

In his first year with the team, he scored 12 goals in 34 matches of 2020–21 Süper Lig.

On 26 August 2021, he made his first hat-trick with the team against HJK Helsinki in 2021–22 UEFA Europa League season and Fenerbahçe won the game 5-2 He scored 13 goals in all competitives of 33 matches.