Anthony Valencia
Anthony Lenín Valencia Bajaña (born 21 July 2003) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Royal Antwerp.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Lenín Valencia Bajaña[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Guayaquil, Ecuador[1] | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Royal Antwerp | ||
| Number | 55 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2014 | Deportivo Azogues | ||
| 2017–2020 | Independiente del Valle | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Independiente Juniors | 28 | (5) |
| 2022 | Independiente del Valle | 2 | (0) |
| 2022– | Royal Antwerp | 12 | (1) |
| 2022 | Royal Antwerp II | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:22, 28 August 2023 (UTC) | |||
Career
Born in the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil, Valencia began his footballing career with Deportivo Azogues, training with the Azogues-based side from 2013 until 2014.[2] He went on to join Independiente del Valle in 2017, and represented the club's youth side at the U-20 Copa Libertadores, with his performances earning him a place in The Guardian's "Next Generation 2020", highlighting the best young players in world football.[3][4]
On 8 June 2022 it was announced that Valencia would join Belgian club Royal Antwerp on a 4 year deal.[5] He notched his first assist for the club in his second appearance for the club; providing the pass for Radja Nainggolan's second goal in a 3–1 win over Norwegian opposition Lillestrøm in the UEFA Europa Conference League on 4 August 2022.[6] The following month, he scored his first goal for the club; after an attack by Royal Antwerp, the attempted clearance from a Westerlo defender rebounded off forward Vincent Janssen and fell for Valencia, who headed the ball past goalkeeper Sinan Bolat.[7]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Independiente Juniors | 2020 | Ecuadorian Serie B | 10 | 2 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2021 | 18 | 3 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | ||
| Independiente del Valle | 2022 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Royal Antwerp | 2022–23 | Belgian First Division A | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| Royal Antwerp II | 2022–23 | Belgian National Division 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | ||
- Includes Copa Ecuador and Belgian Cup
- Appearances in the Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
References
- Anthony Valencia at WorldFootball.net
- "Independiente del Valle transfirió a Europa a su figura de la Libertadores Sub20" [Independiente del Valle transferred the figure from the Libertadores Sub20 to Europe]. eltelegrafo.com.ec (in Spanish). 9 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- "Conmebol destacó un 'golazo' de Anthony Valencia en la Libertadores sub-20" [Conmebol highlighted a 'great goal' by Anthony Valencia in the Libertadores sub-20]. eltelegrafo.com.ec (in Spanish). 8 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- "Welkom Anthony Valencia" [Welcome Anthony Valencia] (in Dutch). 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- Álvarez, Paulo (6 August 2022). "Anthony Valencia aprovecha sus oportunidades en Europa" [Anthony Valencia seizes his opportunities in Europe]. benditofutbol.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- "Anthony Valencia anota con el Royal Antwerp en Bélgica" [Anthony Valencia scores for Royal Antwerp in Belgium]. primicias.ec (in Spanish). 4 September 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- Anthony Valencia at Soccerway
- "Antwerp wint nu ook de Supercup! KV Mechelen plooit pas na strafschoppen" [Antwerp now also wins the Supercup! KV Mechelen only folds after penalties] (in Dutch). Sporza. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.