Luis Antonio Valencia
Luis Antonio Valencia was born in the Amazonian city of Lago Agrio, Ecuador on the 4th August 1985. At the age of 16, he left his home to move to capital club El Nacional. He made his debut for the club aged 18, when he (along with Christian Benitez) was fast-tracked through the youth system. He spent three seasons there, making 83 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
In 2005, Spanish club Villarreal signed the youngster for £1.76million. However, Valencia struggled to break into the first team and was loaned out to Recreativo de Huelva for the latter half of the 2005-2006 season. At Recreativo, Valencia helped them achieve promotion to La Liga.
The 2006-2007 season saw Valencia move to Wigan on loan. He ended his debut season with one goal and one red card in 22 appearances. Wigan saw the player's potential and loaned him again for the 2007-2008 season and ultimately bought the star in January 2008 for a rumoured £5million. Valencia ended that season with three goals and three assists in 32 appearances.
The 2008-2009 season saw Valencia emerge as genuine talent. He put in numerous spirited displays and in January 2009 turned down the chance to join Real Madrid. He ended the season with three goals. On the 30th June 2009, Valencia was signed by Manchester United in a £16million move.
The Ecuadorian impressed in the 2009-2010 season, and was named man of the match in United's 2-1 2010 League Cup final success over Aston Villa. He was also included in the PFA Team of the Year, and in total he scored five goals in 34 Premier League appearances. His 2010-2011 season was ravaged by injuries. He broke his ankle in September and didn't return until February. When he returned to the first team he was instrumental in helping the side win the Premier League. He also started in the Champions League final, where United lost 3-1 to Barcelona.
The 2011-2012 season was a personal highlight for Valencia. He received both fans' and players' player of the year awards, as he helped United finish second. He played 27 league games and scored four goals, creating 13 goals.
As a reward for his fine season, Valencia was handed the historic number 7 shirt. However, the 2012-2013 season didn't live up to the high standards Valencia had set for himself, the player scoring once and assisting just five times.
As a result, Valencia vanquished the number 7 shirt, saying that the pressure was too great, and returned to his preferred number of 25.
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