Pranav Nair
Former Manchester United skipper Antonio Valencia retires from football
As confirmed by the club’s official website, former Manchester United skipper Antonio Valencia has announced his retirement from the game.
The Ecuadorian international hangs up his boots exactly two years after he left Old Trafford to return to his homeland with Liga Deportiva Universitaria.
Signed from Wigan Athletic in 2009, Valencia spent 10 fruitful seasons at United. A highly versatile player, he made 339 appearances for the club scoring 25 goals and assisting 62. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Valencia’s time at United was littered with trophies. He won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three Community Shields and the Europa League.
In fact, it was under his captaincy that we picked up our last major honour in 2017. He was given the armband following Wayne Rooney’s departure.
A popular player in the dressing room, the South American won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, Goal of the Season and Players’ Player of the Year awards in the 2011/12 season. He was also the Players’ Player of the year in 2016/17.
Having spent the best years of his career at Old Trafford, Valencia retains a sense of affection with United. In fact, his announcement on Twitter was littered with references to the memorable times he had at Old Trafford.
He regards the opportunity to play for United as god-given and has in all honesty done justice to it on the field. A player who knew what it meant to don the jersey, we wish him all the best for his future endeavours.
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Valencia may not have been the most talented of players. However, he maximized his skill set with hard work and was a regular under five managers. Despite injuries derailing him on numerous occasions, he remained a fighter and kept returning for more.
He retires as one of the finest players to play for us this century.
