Anthony Valencia
Ecuadorian footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | 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 | 52 | (4) |
| 2022– | Young Reds Antwerp | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11 February 2026 | |||
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[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 | ||
- Includes Copa Ecuador and Belgian Cup
- Appearances in the Copa Libertadores
- Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League
Honours
Royal Antwerp
