Enner Valencia played his last international game on Ecuadorian soil on Sept. 9. In a terrifying penalty-winning goal, Valencia gave Ecuador the lead in the previous 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Argentina.
“It will be very special. I will be with my family for the first time at a qualifier’s match. It will be emotional,” Valencia told journalists in the preview conference of the match.
After participating in the 2014 and 2022 World Cup tournaments, Valencia put an end to his international career as the top goal scorer with 47 goals and 100 appearances, placing Agustín Delgado and Christian Benítez as second and third, respectively, with 31 and 24 goals each.
“In our case, we have been here for a decade defending our country’s colors with a lot of responsibility. Let’s hope this match against Argentina will be a warm farewell with a victory,” Valencia said.
Many fans of La Tri, Ecuador’s national team, gave him their best wishes and paid tribute on social media platforms.
“I bet after him, there will be no Forward to take his place,” Wesley, a TikTok user, stated.
“Ecuador’s greatest goal scorer,” Frank Illesca said on TikTok.
“Superman. Enner Valencia. Thank you,” user @Glasamy734 wrote on X.
Regardless of Ecuador’s National Team trophy drought, Valencia was able to lead a team of future European stars to their fifth FIFA World Cup.
Although this is not the very end, since Valencia will still be playing for Pachuca in Mexico’s Liga MX.
Some achievements in Valencia’s career correspond to his innate ability to score, being awarded the Golden Boot for the Copa Sudamericana in 2013, Liga MX Clausura in 2014 and Turkey’s Süper Lig during the 2022-2023 season.
Debuting for Ecuador in 2012 against Honduras, Valencia has been the face of La Tri for more than a decade. Although his farewell on Ecuadorian soil has passed, Valencia will wear Ecuador’s colors one last time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he will close an extraordinary international soccer career.
Valencia’s career is an example of humility and resilience, from running in San Lorenzo grassroots and rock-made nets to being scouted by C.S. Emelec, one of the biggest clubs in Ecuador, then rising to become La Tri’s all-time goal scorer. This farewell is not a goodbye, but a tribute to Ecuadorian excellence shaped by the art of believing in oneself.
