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Antonio ValenciaEcuadorian footballer, winger, plays for the English club Manchester United
Date of Birth: 04.08.1985
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia, whose real name is Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, was born in 1985 in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. As a child, Antonio became interested in football and later played for various youth clubs such as Caribe Junior and El Nacional. He played 84 games for El Nacional and scored 11 goals.
Early Career
In 2005, there were rumors of Valencia joining the Spanish club Villarreal CF, but he only made two appearances without scoring any goals or assists. He gained popularity during the 2005-2006 season when he was loaned to Real Club Recreativo de Huelva. He played 11 matches and scored one goal for the team. The following season, Valencia was loaned to Wigan Athletic in the English Premier League. He made his debut on August 19, 2006, against Newcastle United, but they lost 2-1. He scored his first goal for Wigan on October 21, 2006, against Manchester City. Due to his impressive performances, Wigan extended his loan for another year.
Manchester United
On January 18, 2008, Valencia was offered a three-and-a-half-year contract by Wigan Athletic. He played 47 games and scored 6 goals for the club. In January 2009, there were rumors of Real Madrid's interest in Valencia, but Wigan stated that they had no intention of keeping him. On June 30, 2009, it was announced that Valencia would be joining Manchester United. The transfer fee was reported to be around £16 million. Valencia had to cut his vacation short to undergo a medical with the team. He made his debut for Manchester United on July 29, 2009, against Boca Juniors in the Audi Cup, scoring a goal in the match. He became a regular substitute for Nani and scored his first Premier League goal against Bolton Wanderers on October 17, 2009. He also scored a goal against Spartak Moscow in the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, Valencia was included in the Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year. He suffered a left knee injury in a match against Rangers on September 14, 2010.
National Team
Valencia made his debut for the Ecuador national team on March 27, 2005, against Paraguay, in which Ecuador won 5-2. He represented Ecuador in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was nominated for inclusion in the tournament's "Best XI," although he lost to Lukas Podolski. He played a total of 43 matches for the national team and scored 6 goals.
