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 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
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]
International career
On 31 May 2026, Valencia was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[8]
Career statistics
Club
| 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
- As of match played 30 May 2026[10]
| 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.[10]
| 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
Royal Antwerp
