Do you enjoy football? If so, you must have heard of Antonio Valencia; or you may even be a fan!

Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, also known as Antonio Valencia, is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who has also represented the Ecuador National Football Team. Currently, he plays for Liga MX club Querétaro.

Antonio Valencia was born on 4th August 1985 in Lago Agrio, near Nueva Loja, Ecuador, to parents Luis Antonio Valencia and Teresa Mosquera.

He primarily gained fame after being a part of the Premier League team, Manchester United, where he played for 10 long years. Also, he led the team as a captain for some time.

You may know him as a professional footballer, but how much do you know of him on a personal level?

This article will dive deep into his personal life and how he started his career as a footballer.

Quick facts

Here are some quick facts about Antonio Valencia:

Antonio Valencia: Age, Height, and Weight

Antonio is currently 35 years old. He stands about 180 cm tall (5 ft 11 inch) and weighs about 78 kilograms (172 pounds).

Antonio Valencia: Early Life and Childhood

Valencia was born in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. His parents were traders. He is one of the 4 children of his parents. Also, he has two brothers: Eder and Alfredo, and a sister Jazmina.

Eder Valencia, his elder brother, is also a football player who plays a forward for the Ecuadorian National Team.

In school, Antonio was shy, hard-working, and likes to read. Nonetheless, he always managed time to play football after completing his assignments.

During the free time, Antonio and his siblings helped their mother sell refreshing drinks to visitors outside of a local football stadium in their hometown.

Antonio Valencia: Personal Life

From his social media posts, anyone can presume Antonio is a family man. He always seems to spend a good amount of time with his family despite having a busy schedule.

Likewise, Valencia also shares a sweet relationship with his parents and shares a few pictures with them.

Antonio Valencia: Wife and Kids

Antonio is married to a beautiful woman named Zoila. He has shared several pictures with his wife on social media.

This couple has a daughter together whose name is Domenica Valencia. She was born during the 2006 World Cup and is currently 14 years old.

They seem to have an adorable relationship. We’re obsessed!

Also, Antonio has two dogs that he considers part of his family and refers to them as “kids.

Antonio Valencia: Career

Valencia has been playing football since he was a little boy. He used to play football on the road next to his house with his siblings during childhood.

However, professionally, he has been active since 2000.

How it all began

Valencia was scouted at the age of 11 by Pedro “Papi” Perlaza. He was then signed to the local FA-run sports academy in Sucumbios.

Similarly, at the age of 16, he was signed to a military-backed club, El Nacional, in Quito. However, he left home and kept this signing a secret to his father.

In his own words, his father would not have allowed him to go to “that dangerous and crime-infested area.”

However, his mother and elder brother knew about this decision and supported his decision. Thus, Valencia left his family at an early age to fulfill his dream of playing football.

Antonio Valencia: Transfer to Spanish Clubs

Several major European clubs started keeping an eye on Antonio after winning his first club title of Clausura tournament as a part of the El Nacional team in 2005. Hence, this earned him the attention of several European scouts.

Antonio first moved to Villareal and played there from 2005 to 2006. He moved back and forth between Villareal and Recreativo Huelva on loan.

Valencia helped Recreativo gain recognition and promoted the club to a champion of Division B.

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Transfer to Premier League

After gaining fame from Recreativo Huelva, Antonio decided to move to the Premier League. English Premier League club Wigan Athletic signed him in a 3-year deal. The transfer fee was 2.50 million euros.

He made a big impact in the club and even scored against Manchester United in 2009. This made Manchester United sign him as a winger for the club.

He then became the first player to be signed by the club in summer 2009 and was mentored by Ryan Giggs.

He was signed under a 4-year deal, and the transfer fee is estimated to be a whopping 18 million euros. And the rest is history.

A career in Manchester United

Antonio surely gained a lot of name and fortune from the club. He has spent 10 glorious years in the club from July 2009 to July 2019.

His signing was a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, and he definitely gave the club what they expected from him.

During his first season, Antonio scored 7 goals and contributed 13 assists, mainly to Wayne Rooney.

His transition to right-back started during the 2011-2012 season after three of the defenders were injured. Antonio mentions that he, however, was more comfortable in his usual position.

He captured the fan’s heart and was awarded Player of the Season. This indeed won him the infamous No.7 shirt. This shirt was previously owned by stars like David Beckham, Eric Cantona, and Ronaldo.

Antonio returned to the No. 25 shirts in 2013 when David Moyes showed up at the Old Trafford as a coach.

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Career in Queretaro FC

In July 2019, Manchester United sold Valencia for 5 million euros to Ecuadorian club LDU Quito. He played from the club for a year before leaving in July 2020.

He was then left without a club for a few months and joined the Mexican first-tier  Football Club Queretaro FC in Jan 2021.

Here is a video of Valencia playing for Queretaro FC against Pachuca

The club bought him for 2.50 million euros, and he is the captain of the team.

Antonio Valencia: Injuries

Valencia’s first major injury happened on April 26, 2010. This cost him over 4 games from Manchester United. He was on the bench for about 112 days before making a comeback on August 16, 2010.

He suffered another ankle injury in 2010, due to which he missed 40 matches.

His latest injury was a knee injury during the 2018- 2019 Premier League season. This injury cost him 24 games. He was injured from January 4, 2019, to May 11, 2019.

In total, he has missed over 122 matches and has been outside the ground for 715 days.

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Antonio Valencia: Awards, Titles, and Achievements

Antonio has achieved several titles and trophies as a part of the  Manchester United senior team.

With Antonio in the team, Manchester United has won 2 Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, three Community Shields, and the Europa League.

He has also been awarded the Sir Matt Busby Player Of the Year. Antonio also won the Manchester United’s Players’ Player of the Year for his 2011-2012 season contributions as personal achievements.

Nevertheless, Antonio has won the hearts of the fans and managers of the clubs he’s been a part of.

Cheating Rumors

Like most footballers, Antonio has faced several cheating allegations. It has been rumored that Valencia has cheated on his wife several times.

One nurse named Sophie Vagsaeter claimed that Valencia slept with her, and she even apologized to his wife, Zoila.

Vagsaeter also mentioned that she “did his wife a favor” by “exposing” Manchester United’s right-back. Consequently, this allegation caused Valencia and his wife to part ways for a brief time in 2016.

However, the couple got back together after some time to co-parent Domenica.

Antonio Valencia: Salary, Lifestyle, and Net Worth

Antonio Valencia’s salary was estimated to be around 100 thousand pounds a week in 2018.

His current Net Worth is about 8 million dollars.

His earning sources are Club deals/ contracts, sponsorships, and endorsement deals.

Antonio is very fond of cars. Hence, he has a large collection of cars.

Valencia’s car collections include a black Chevrolet car, a range rover, BMW, and an Audi. Moreover, he also owned a $4 million house in Manchester.

Valencia lives a very active life, as seen in his social media. He seems to be regularly working out with his teammates and family.

Antonio also hosts several parties, although he rarely drinks alcohol.

Antonio Valencia: Fun facts

Valencia is a foodie. His favorite cuisine includes Italian food, baked goods, and home food.

He is superstitious and considers number 11 as his lucky number. His favorite actor is Tom Hardy, and his favorite actress is Rachel Weisz.

Likewise, his favorite footballers include South American footballers Ronaldinho and Maradona.

Additionally, Valencia is fond of music. His favorite artists are Justin Bieber and Mick Jagger. His favorite superhero is Superman.

Antonio Valencia: Social Media

Valencia is active on Twitter and Instagram. He regularly shares pictures with his family and teammates on social media.

His Twitter handle is @anto_v25, on which he has over 1 million followers.

Here is a video from his Twitter account on which he shares a sweet moment a young fan Kevin, met his favorite star.

Estamos contigo Kevin, muchos ánimos.

— Antonio Valencia (@anto_v25) February 24, 2021

Similarly, he makes regular appearances on Instagram and posts several live videos. He has over 2 million followers on Instagram.

His Instagram handle is @antoniovalencia2525.

FAQs

How fast is Antonio Valencia?

Antonio is very fast. He has clicked an astounding speed of 35.1 km/hr.

Why did Antonio Valencia leave Manchester United?

He left Manchester United due to several injuries.

Are Enner Valencia and Antonio Valencia related?

No, Enner and Antonio are not related, although they share the same last name. Antonio, however, has a brother with a similar name, Eder.

Does Antonio Valencia speak English?

Yes, Antonio Valencia speaks English. However, he likes to caption his social media posts in his native language.