Antonio Valencia profile: 10 things you need to know about the Tottenham target
Published 11:58 17/12/08 By By Adrian Millerick
Harry Redknapp has lined up a £7million swoop for Wigan winger Antonio Valencia. Here's all you need to know about him...
1. Antonio was born on 4 August 1985 in Nueva Loja, Ecuador, which is located in the Amazonian forest.
2. He started his club career at CD El Nacional in 2001 and scored 20 goals for them in 84 appearances. The Quito-based CD El Nacional only allows Ecuadorian players to feature in their side. The club also belong to the Ecuadorian military.
3. Valencia was recently omitted from the Ecuador squad for their game against Uruguay after failing to give a suitable reason for his absence for their game against Colombia. However, their manager hasn't ruled out a return for the player.
4. He then moved to Spanish league team Villareal, but having only made two appearances for the Yellow Submarines, he was loaned out to Recreativo Huelva.
5. After Valencia's stunning strike against Manchester City earlier this season Wigan's outspoken chairman Dave Whelan claimed he knew that the winger was being watched by Manchester United.
6. As well as Spurs and Manchester United, both Liverpool and Aston Villa have been strongly linked with the youngster.
7. Valencia got his first international cap for Ecuador in 2005 in a World Cup Qualifying match against Paraguay. He marked this occasion by scoring two goals as Ecuador easily won 5-2.
8. Valencia played in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and was in the Ecuadorian side that lost to England and David Beckham's long-range free-kick in the last 16 of the competition.
9. His impressive performances in the World Cup earned him a nomination for FIFA's ideal 11 team, which recognises the top stars for every position in the World Cup.
10. Here's a clip of the boy doing what he does best.
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