Friday 08 October 2021, 16:50

Enner Valencia: the stats behind the record

  • Valencia now Ecuador's top scorer

  • Striker breaks record after two scoreless years

  • FIFA.com brings you the stats behind his historic haul

With his brace against Bolivia on matchday 11 of the South American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Ecuador’s Enner Valencia took his tally to 33 goals, in the process moving two clear of Agustin Delgado to become his country’s all-time top scorer.

To mark the achievement, FIFA.com brings you some of the key stats behind the record of the 31-year-old striker, who made his international debut under Colombian Reinaldo Rueda on 12 February 2012 in a friendly against Honduras.

NombreGoalsMatches
Enner Valencia3364
Agustin Delgado3171
Eduardo Hurtado2674
Cristian Benítez2458
Alex Aguinaga23109

7 - The number of games it took Valencia to score his first goal for La Tri, coincidently in another friendly against Honduras on 19 November 2013. The player was 24 at the time.

694 - The number of days between his equalling Delgado's mark on 14 November 2019 with a brace in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and to scoring for his country again to finally take sole possession of the record.

113 - The number of seconds between his record-breaking 32nd goal against Bolivia and his 33rd. Ecuador went on to win 3-0.

7 - After scoring five times during the qualifiers for Russia 2018, the player known as 'Superman' now has seven World Cup qualifying goals, putting him joint fifth in this category alongside compatriots Cristian Benitez and Ariel Graziani. Only Delgado (16), Felipe Caicedo (15), Edinson Mendez (11) and Alex Aguinaga (9) have scored more for Ecuador.

3 - The number of goals he scored in his one appearance to date at a FIFA World Cup. At Brazil 2014, he found the target during his side’s defeat to Switzerland (2-1) as well as netting both goals during the win over Honduras (2-1). That tally makes him his country’s joint-top scorer at the game’s flagship event alongside the aforementioned Delgado.

5 - The number of times he has found the net at the Copa America, with two at Chile 2015, another two at the centenary edition in the USA in 2016, and one at Brazil 2019. He was unable to add to that tally at Brazil 2021.

18 - The number of goals he has racked up in international friendlies – curiously against 17 different teams. The only country he has scored against in two different friendlies is El Salvador.

22 - The number of goals he has scored with his right foot (including two penalties). He has also converted seven times with his left and four times with his head.

6 - The number of braces he has amassed during his international career. Interestingly, two of them came against Bolivia during World Cup qualifying (in 2016 and in the current edition). He has also scored twice against Honduras, Qatar, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Enner Valencia of Ecuador celebrates after scoring