FIFA 22: The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has finally begun amid excitement and controversy. In the first game of the tournament, hosts Qatar faced Ecuador in Group A. The South American nation made a bright start thanks to their captain Enner Valencia, who was leading the attack in the role of striker.
He looked to have opened the scoring in the early stages of the game but was disallowed for an offside in the build-up. However, the striker gave Ecuador the lead in the end and scored the first goal of the FIFA World Cup 2022 through a penalty in the 16th minute. He extended Ecuador’s lead in the 31st minute with a precise header into the bottom corner.
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The skipper kept his team in a commanding position before being injured in the 77th minute. Thanks to his brace, Ecuador won the first game of the FIFA World Cup 2022 against Qatar 2-0.
Enner Valencia – a striker with an eye for a goal
The 33-year-old was in sensational form coming into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He had 15 goals and four assists in 22 appearances in all competitions leading up to the tournament. His goalscoring exploits made him a popular figure in the Turkish Super Lig while playing for Fenerbahçe.
history
Ener Valencia was born on November 4, 1989 in the city of San Lorenzo. He began his professional career in Ecuador in 2010 after signing for the senior team of CS Emelec. He moved to Mexico after four years to sign for Pachuca. In 2014-15, the striker took the step that made him remarkable. He then signed for West Ham United in the Premier League.
He spent a season on loan to Everton before moving back to Mexico permanently to sign for Tigres UANL. In 2020, Valencia moved back to Europe when Fenerbahçe decided to bring him to Turkey, hoping to capitalize on his exceptional finishing qualities and positional awareness while leading the forward line.
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In terms of appearances, Valencia has scored 41 goals (as of today) for Fenerbahçe, 34 goals for Tigres, 23 goals for CS Emelec, 18 goals for Pachuca, 10 goals for West Ham United and three goals for Everton. Did it He won four trophies with Tigress and one with CS Emelec, apart from numerous individual honours.
National team
Ener Valencia’s best performances have come while playing for his country. The striker has 37 goals in 75 appearances for Ecuador in all competitions. He is the country’s all-time leading goalscorer and can score more goals in the future. Furthermore, with 75 appearances, he is the 10th highest appearance-maker for Ecuador.