No 14, Libertadores buzz and debut date: Valencia speaks at Flamengo | OneFootball

Anthony Valencia was announced by Flamengo this Tuesday (01)

A reinforcement for Flamengo in the mid-year transfer window, Ecuadorian Anthony Valencia gave his first interview as a Rubro-Negro player. The new No. 14 explained why he chose that number, his expectations for the clashes with Del Valle (ECU) in the Libertadores, and even made himself available to debut on Wednesday (02) against Mirassol.

“We have an important match, and I hope the coach counts on me so I can get some minutes already,” Valencia told ‘FlamengoTV’ about the next Brasileirão match. The winger is fit, after all, he had been playing regularly for Royal Antwerp (BEL), where he scored three goals in three matches this season.

Developed in Independiente del Valle’s youth academy, Valencia is looking forward to facing the club where it all began. The player even revealed that he received messages from former teammates while negotiating with Flamengo.

— It’s going to be a very beautiful matchup, because I came through all my development at Independiente, I have many teammates there and some of them even sent me messages. They’re also happy, and I hope I can meet them. Actually, I hope to win the Libertadores with Flamengo, because it’s one of the most important titles. It’s special for me; as a South American, winning the Libertadores would be a huge achievement —, he added.

WHY THE NO. 14 SHIRT?

In Belgium, Valencia wore the No. 7 shirt. At the last World Cup, representing Ecuador, he wore No. 8. At Flamengo, the winger asked to take No. 14, a number with a lot of history linked to Arrascaeta. “Since I was little, I played with No. 14. No. 14 is a number I like a lot, I really identify with that number.”

Check out, below, Anthony Valencia’s other remarks to ‘FlamengoTV’. The winger signed a five-year contract. To secure the player, Rubro-Negro invested approximately 5 million euros, that is, R$ 30 million at the current exchange rate.

OTHER ANSWERS FROM ANTHONY VALENCIA

Why Flamengo?

“I got the news through my agent. He told me that José Boto had seen me, meaning he was interested in me. And when my agent told me Flamengo wanted me, I didn’t think twice and said ‘yes’ right away. Flamengo, to me, is a very big club, always competing for titles, always wanting to win, and that’s something I like. I like to compete, and that’s why I came here: to win titles and make my contribution to Flamengo.”

How was the reception?

“When I arrived, they welcomed me in the best way. They made me feel welcome, and that made me feel good. There are many teammates here who speak Spanish and help me a little with Portuguese. I have to learn, and we’ll keep learning”.

Characteristics

“At the start of the season at Antwerp, I began very well. I believe that’s what Flamengo saw, my characteristics. And I believe that’s why I’m here today, and I feel very happy about that”.

Message to the fans

“I hope to see you soon at the stadium, and I hope to have everyone’s support. I will give my best to bring you lots of joy”.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.