Valencia: Power supply

As a startlingly rare talent, it’s perhaps fitting that Antonio has taken such an untrodden path to stardom; trading the Amazon basin for the banks of the River Irwell. Born in Nueva Loja, capital of the Sucumbíos Province of Ecuador’s Amazon Region, Antonio and his five brothers would scour their city and its surrounding villages in search of glass bottles for their father’s bottle deposit centre. He would also help his mother sell ‘bolos’ (fruit juice in plastic bags) on matchdays outside the Estadio Carlos Vernaza, the local football stadium.

Initially spotted playing football recreationally with his friends by ex-player Pedro Perlaza, Antonio enrolled with local team Caribe Junior at the age of 14. So impressed was Perlaza with Valencia’s attributes, that he recommended the youngster to El Nacional, a local team keen on encouraging burgeoning talents. It also happened to be the Ecuadorian Armed Forces’ team, and required Antonio to move to Quito.

The youngster’s stint of service and football training had a profound effect. “Undoubtedly the work he did in the minor divisions with El Nacional helped him a lot to increase his strength and power,” says Ecuadorian football journalist, Rodolfo Mazur Oyola.

“El Nacional was the club that shaped him professionally. They honed his technique and also helped him in his personal training. He was always a special player due to his skills, but he used to be thin until he spent some time there. He began training with former members of the Ecuadorian national squad, who guided him and recommended he be taken to the first squad. It didn’t take long for him to gain the attention of Luis Fernando Suarez, the coach of the national team.”