Anthony Lenín Valencia Bajaña (born 21 July 2003) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Royal Antwerp and the Ecuador national team.
| 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 | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Royal Antwerp | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| 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 | 67 | (7) |
| 2022– | Young Reds Antwerp | 5 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | Ecuador | 2 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 30 May 2026 | |||
Club career
editBorn 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
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | 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 | Ecuadorian Serie B | 18 | 3 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | |||
| Total | 28 | 5 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | ||||
| Independiente del Valle | 2022 | LigaPro Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Royal Antwerp | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3[c] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Belgian Pro League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 4 | |||
| 2025–26 | Belgian Pro League | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 4 | |||
| Total | 67 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 10 | ||
| Royal Antwerp II | 2022–23 | Belgian Division 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Belgian Division 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Career total | 102 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 15 | ||
- ↑ Includes Copa Ecuador, Belgian Cup
- ↑ Appearance in Copa Libertadores
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
edit- As of match played 30 May 2026[9]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecuador | 2026 | 2 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Valencia goal.[9]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 May 2026 | Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, United States | 2 |  Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
editRoyal Antwerp
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 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
- 1 2 Anthony Valencia at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ "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.
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