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El volante jugó en
alto nivel frente a
Uruguay, aunque
se fue expulsado
en el minuto 93.
Aquí supera a
Álvaro Pereira.
The midfielder
played in a high
level against
Uruguay, though
he was sent off at
the 93 rd minute.
Here, he surpasses
Álvaro Pereira.
estoy conectado siempre con el
fútbol ecuatoriano y mi querido El
Nacional.
-¿En qué pensó cuando
perdió el título del bicampeonato
de la Premier ante el
Manchester City?
-Estaba triste porque cuando
se está en un equipo tan grande y
popular como el Manchester United,
se siente mucha responsabilidad
con la afición. No es una obligación,
pero es la responsabilidad
de un jugador darle a la hinchada
al menos un título de los cuatro en
disputa.
-¿Esa misma sensación la
tiene ahora con la Selección?
-La misma idea que tengo yo
la tienen todos los seleccionados.
Queremos llegar a otro Mundial,
jugar bien al fútbol para tener felices
a nuestros compatriotas. Queremos
escuchar siempre el grito
de “Sí se puede”, aunque vayamos
perdiendo, porque nos entregaremos
en la cancha como lo hacemos
en nuestros clubes.
-¿Qué sensaciones le produjo
jugar una final de Champions
ante un rival como el
Barcelona y marcar a Messi?
-¡Uff!, las mejores. La sensación
es linda, pero el no ganar la
medalla y la copa lo borra todo.
Así hayamos hecho un gran partido,
lo más importante es conseguir
el título. Nos esforzamos, pero
por no conseguir el objetivo,
nada vale. Con Messi no pude
conversar, sólo lo admiro.
20 ● CSF
The star of the “Tri” and
Manchester United,
Antonio Valencia visited his
native Agrio Lake, in the province
of Sucumbios and was
appointed Unicef Ambassador. It
was the right moment to reflect
upon his outstanding career.
Do you like to recall your
origins before having
success?
In the first place, I’m not
Manchester United’s best player,
nor am I the best of the National
Team and I don’t intend to be so.
I think that when a person leaves
his home town with the clear
hope of progressing, he can
achieve what he wants. My
childhood was hard, though with
some nice moments. Nowadays,
perhaps it is just an anecdote.
Training secretly was a
good thing after the regular
practices when you were
young…
(He laughed) It was a secret I
had with Mr. Villarreal who took
care of the complex of the
National Team at that time. In
the morning I trained with the
U-20 squad and in the afternoon
I did it alone. Nobody knew or
had to know what was
happening, because I practised in
the main pitch and nobody was
allowed to trod on it without
authorization. Moreover, I had to
rest, that was the order, but
Villarreal lent me the balls. It was
a very nice experience.
How did you feel with
such a radical change when
leaving your home and
family to get to another
continent with different
Nacimiento / Date of birth: 4 de agosto de 1985, en Lago Agrio,
Nueva Loja, Ecuador.
Puesto / position: Volante ofensivo / Midfielder
Trayectoria como jugador / Career as player: Caribe Junior
(1998-2000), El Nacional (2003-05), Villarreal CF (España, 2005-
06), Recreativo de Huelva (2005-06), Wigan Athletic FC
(Inglaterra, 2006-09), Manchester United (2009-12). Jugó con la
Selección de Ecuador (2005-2012) 54 partidos internacionales
con 6 goles (*). Disputó con la Selección Juvenil de Ecuador
(2004-05) 23 cotejos con 17 tantos. Actuó en 2 Copas América
(Venezuela 2007 y Argentina 2011). Disputó el Mundial de
Alemania 2006.
Títulos / Titles: campeón con Recreativo de Huelva (Segunda
División, 2005-06), con Manchester United (Carling Cup 2009-
10, Premier League 2010-11, Community Shield 2010 y 2011).
(*) Datos al 11.9.2012 / Data to September 11, 2012
Uruguay 1 - Ecuador 1
LUIS ANTONIO VALENCIA MOSQUERA
EFE
habits?
I felt very badly during the
first year in Villarreal (Spain). It
was terrible. I missed my family
for we always met at 9 o’clock in
the evening to chat, share our
thoughts and we had a good
laugh. When I was in Spain, I
missed all that… I shed many
tears, but it was my life and I had
to overcome my fears, because
my dream was to be a winner.
Do you now practise
secretly and by yourself
in Manchester United?
Those are secrets (he
laughs). Some times when we
have a two or three days’ rest,
I practise at home because
I feel the need to do so.
Your professionalism is
evident even in the correct
way you wear your uniform
in the matches. You are
the only footballer of
Manchester United that
starts and ends with your
shirt inside your short…
(Laughter) Because I
remember that Juan Carlos
Burbano (former player of El
Nacional) repeated over and over
again that I should wear my shirt
inside my shorts. The same
happened with Alex Aguinaga
who played in Liga de Quito and
advised me to wear my team’s
uniform correctly. If the senior
players advise you to do
something, it is due to their
experience and it’s right to
follow their rules.
One of your mentors
was coach Dragan
Miranovic…
He has meant a lot in my
life. When I met him, his way of
talking called my attention. He
projected me in El Nacional, but
he was not only concentrated in
football, he made me reflex
about the meaning, the value
of life. He taught me to be
disciplined, the value of my
profession and my family.
His words are in my heart.
What about Steve Bruce,
your coach in Wigan, how
did he influence your career
in England?
Very much indeed. When I
saw him for the first time, my
knee was injured and I could not
play very well. I thought that