Enner Valencia: The Ecuadorian who always scores at FIFA World Cups

• Enner Valencia debuted for Ecuador in 2012

• The converted striker broke into public awareness in the 2014 FIFA World Cup

• Valencia scored twice in the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Akshat Mehrish Esmeraldas in Northwestern Ecuador is a region that has gained the reputation of a footballing hotbed after producing some of the country’s finest footballers, both legends, such as Ivan Hurtado, and contemporaries, such as Pervis Esutpinan. Born on November 4, 1989, in the district, Enner Remberto Valencia Lastra charted a path that many of his compatriots had before him. Shortly after impressing for his local amateur sides, the attacker travelled to Guayaquil to enroll in the famed Emelec academy. Valencia spent three productive years at Emelec, making over 150 appearances and scoring over 30 goals. Then, three years after his professional debut and two after his senior international, the Esmeraldas native followed in the footsteps of a fellow Esmeraldeño, Hurtado, by departing for Mexico. However, his stay in Mexico, where he played for Pachuca, was brief.

At the end of his maiden season in the country, Enner Valencia participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Ecuador. Such was the prominence of his displays in the Brazil-based tournament that offers from higher powers were all but a certainty. At the turn of the century, Ecuador had never played in the FIFA World Cup — one of only two South American sides, along with Venezuela, to not have done so. But, benefitting from a talent boost, La Tri crossed that threshold in 2002 and then qualified again four years later, even reaching the knockout stage on that occasion. The country missed on a spot in the 2010 edition before returning to the finals in 2014, missing a few significant parts. Ivan Hurtado, captain of La Tri for what seemed like an entire era, had decided to step down on the eve of the tournament, leaving a big hole in the defence. Meanwhile, the unfortunate passing of forward Christian Benitez, whose prolificacy in front of the goal was a big boost for the side during his brief international spell, had left huge boots for the remaining attackers to fill.

Then 24, Enner Valencia was yet to break into public awareness. The youngster had collected ten caps before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but he had played as a makeshift striker in many of those as part of head coach Reinaldo Rueda’s attempts to replace the deceased Benitez.

The Esmeraldas native, a winger naturally, started up front for Ecuador on their return to the big time in the opener against Switzerland. It took him 22 minutes to prove his prowess in the role, albeit his efforts proved to be in vain as the Swiss retaliated to seal a 2-1 win. Shaking away any residual disappointment, Valencia picked up where he left off in the second game against Honduras, scoring the equaliser first and then the winner in a 2-1 triumph. France kept the forward quiet, which proved to be La Tri’s Achilles’ Heel, as they failed to trouble the opposition defence at all and exited the tournament with a stalemate.

Valencia came out of the competition with his stock at its highest. The same summer, Premier League side West Ham United swooped in to complete a quick transfer and brought the hitherto unknown Ecuadorian to England. In his three seasons with the Hammers, one of which he spent on loan with Everton, Valencia scored ten goals in 68 games. His stay in England concluded in 2017 when he agreed a deal to return to Mexico with Tigres. The Ecuador international showed enough of his talents at Tigres to earn a move back to Europe with Turkish giants Fenerbahce. He scored 13 goals each in the two seasons preceding the FIFA World Cup year and started the 2022/23 campaign in stunning form — much to the benefit of the Ecuador national team. Now 33, Valencia took his club form to the Qatar-based tournament and scored within minutes of the opening match against the hosts. He added another later in the game and kept his scoring streak going in the next match against the Netherlands, earning his team a 1-1 draw. The brace against Qatar had made the attacker Ecuador’s most prolific scorer at the World Cup; the sole strike against the Netherlands made him the first South American player to score six consecutive goals in the competition, uninterrupted.

Ecuador still failed to escape the clutches of the group stage and exited after a 2-1 defeat against Senegal. However, Enner Valencia returned to Fener and continued his fine goal-scoring form. At the time of writing, he is enjoying his best season, having scored 32 goals in 45 games for the Turkish giants, including 28 in 29 in the league. Yet, some might contest that the most significant achievement of his career happened outside the World Cup finals. In 2021, in the build-up to the tournament, Valencia scored his 32nd and 33rd goals for Ecuador against Bolivia. Those strikes took him past Agustin Delgado at the top of the country’s scoring charts and ensured that his name would forever be written in the annals of Ecuadorian football in golden ink.