Anthony Lenín Valencia Bajaña (born 21 July 2003) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian club Royal Antwerp.

Anthony Valencia
Personal information
Full name Anthony Lenín Valencia Bajaña[1]
Date of birth (2003-07-21) 21 July 2003 (age 21)
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 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 17 (1)
2022– Young Reds Antwerp 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:37, 31 March 2024 (UTC)

Career

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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

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Club

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As of 22 July 2022[1][8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League 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 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[b] 0 0 0 3 0
Royal Antwerp 2022–23 Belgian First Division A 10 1 1 0 3[c] 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
  1. ^ Includes Copa Ecuador and Belgian Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in the Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

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Royal Antwerp

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Anthony Valencia at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Welkom Anthony Valencia" [Welcome Anthony Valencia] (in Dutch). 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Anthony Valencia at Soccerway
  9. ^ "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.