For Antonio Valencia, however, it represents a fittingly unroute for a player whose has been anything but conventional to date.

Now starting his 10th year at Old Trafford, the Ecuadorian operates as a right-back defender and a regular captain of one of the world’s biggest teams; a far cry from his starting point.

Born in Nueva Loja, capital of the
Sucumbíos Province of Ecuador’s Amazon Region, Antonio and his five brothers would scour their city and its surrounding villages in search of glass bottles for their
father’s bottle deposit centre.
He would also help his mother sell bags of
fruit juice on matchdays outside the Estadio Carlos Vernaza, the local football stadium.
Initially spotted playing football with his friends by ex-player Pedro Perlaza, Antonio enrolled with local team Caribe Junior at the age of 14.
So impressed was Perlaza with Valencia’s
attributes, that he recommended the youngster to El Nacional, a local team keen on encouraging burgeoning talents. It was also the Ecuadorian Armed Forces’ team, requiring Antonio to move to Quito.



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