Enner Valencia

Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra (born 4 November 1989) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Internacional and captains the Ecuador national team.

At Tigres, he won Liga MX's 2017 Apertura and 2019 Clausura tournaments, and finished runner-up in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, winning the latter competition's Golden Boot.

In August 2020, Valencia signed for Fenerbahçe in Turkey and won the Turkish Cup in his final season before joining Brazilian club Internacional in mid-2023.

[11] On 29 July 2014, Premier League club West Ham United completed the transfer of Valencia, on a five-year contract for a fee estimated at £12 million.

[13] Valencia made his West Ham debut on 16 August 2014 in a 1–0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Carlton Cole.

[14] On 27 August, he had his penalty saved by Mark Howard as West Ham were knocked out at home in the second round of the League Cup by Sheffield United.

[19] His first match of his second season was on 30 July 2015 in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg at home against Astra Giurgiu; he headed West Ham into the lead but was one of two players substituted through injury in the first half as the team eventually drew 2–2.

[22] Valencia scored his first league goals of the 2015–16 season with two in a 3–1 comeback win against AFC Bournemouth on 12 January 2016, including a powerfully hit free-kick.

On 26 August 2021, he made his first hat-trick with the team against HJK Helsinki in 2021–22 UEFA Europa League season and Fenerbahçe won the game 5-2[28] He scored 13 goals in all competitives of 33 matches.

He scored his first goal for the club on August 1st, but couldn't prevent the comeback defeat of 2-1 to River Plate at Monumental de Nuñez, in a match valid for the Round of 16 of the Libertadores.

At the 16th minute of the game, Enner received a good pass from Alan Patrick and advanced alone against the Bolivian team's defenders, successfully finishing with a powerful and unstoppable shot into the lower right corner of the goalkeeper Lampe.

The forward emerged as a hero in the Colorado's victory in high altitude, alongside Uruguayan goalkeeper Rochet, who made important saves.

After playing for the nation's under-22 team at the 2011 Pan American Games, Valencia made his debut for Ecuador on 12 February 2012 in a friendly against Honduras.

[38] In Ecuador's second group match at the 2015 Copa América in Chile, Valencia successfully converted a penalty to Bolivia, but the kick had to be taken again due to an opponent's infringement; the re-take was saved by Romel Quiñónez.

[39] Four days later in Rancagua, Valencia set up Miller Bolaños' opener and scored Ecuador's second goal as they won 2–1 against Mexico, eliminating the opponents.

He came from a poor family and when he arrived at Emelec, he had to sleep in rudimentary lodgings at the club's Estadio George Capwell, as he had no money to stay anywhere else and at times struggled to buy enough to eat.

Valencia playing for West Ham United in 2016
Valencia playing for the Ecuador National Team in 2015.