Former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia has made a surprising return to football, joining the veteran team at Manchester-based club Wythenshawe AFC. The 40-year-old Ecuadorian, who spent a decade at Old Trafford, adds his considerable experience to an already impressive roster of retired professionals.
Valencia's career at Manchester United was decorated with success, including two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, and a Europa League victory. After retiring from professional football in 2021, he founded his own academy, AV25, in his home country before deciding to return to the pitch in England's northwest.
Wythenshawe's veteran team has become something of a phenomenon, boasting an extraordinary collection of former Premier League stars. Valencia joins fellow title-winners including Joleon Lescott, Danny Drinkwater, Marc Albrighton, and Danny Simpson, along with former England striker Emile Heskey and ex-Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse.
The club's statement emphasized Valencia's value to their community-focused organization: "As a community club with over 80 teams across men's, women's and junior football, it's always great for our players, volunteers and fans to see a player who has competed at the very top level spending time around the club and being part of the environment we're continuing to build."
Remarkably, the Wythenshawe veterans don't receive payment for their services. Club chairman Carl Barratt revealed that his wife even sends letters to collect their £15 subscription fees. Despite this, the team has dominated their Cheshire Vets League Premier Division, winning all seven games this season while scoring 62 goals and conceding just eight.
The squad's collective experience is staggering. Between them, they've made over 2,000 top-flight appearances, earned nearly 500 international caps, and won 21 major trophies. The combined transfer fees paid by their former clubs to acquire these players totals approximately £140 million.
Valencia's journey to Wythenshawe completes a circle that began when Manchester United signed him from Wigan Athletic in 2009 for £16 million, initially as a right-winger before his successful conversion to right-back. His addition to the veteran squad represents another chapter in what has become one of English football's most remarkable post-retirement stories.