Oswaldo Valencia
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Oswaldo Valencia Motta[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 April 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cúcuta Deportivo[2] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tolima | |||
| 2012–2016 | Sarmiento | ||
| 2016–2024 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | River Plate | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Cúcuta Deportivo (loan)[2] | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Colombia U20 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 September 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:36, 5 July 2023 (UTC) | |||
Cristian Oswaldo Valencia Motta (born 13 April 2003) is a Colombian footballer who plays as a forward for Cúcuta Deportivo on loan from the Argentine side River Plate.
Club career
[edit]Born in Florencia in the Caquetá Department of Colombia, Valencia began his footballing career with an affiliate of Deportes Tolima.[3] He was given the opportunity to travel to Argentina at the age of eight, when he and sixteen teammates spent six months with Sarmiento de Junín.[3][4][5] He returned to Argentina in 2012, joining Sarmiento permanently.[4] Shortly after joining, he moved into the home of teammate Santiago Peretti as he was not paid a wage by the club.[5] After four years in Junín, he was invited to trial with River Plate; he played in a friendly match against a team from Rosario, scoring two goals in a 3–0 win, and was immediately offered a place in the academy, joining the club in March 2016.[5][6]
Valencia was unable to play in official Argentine Football Association games for a number of years due to registration rules, instead playing in the Metropolitan League, which did not have restrictions on foreign players, and described himself as the team's mascot during that time.[4][5] He was finally able to make his debut for the youth teams of River Plate in August 2019, featuring in a 4–2 win against Unión de Santa Fe.[4][5] He signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2022.[7]
International career
[edit]Despite living for most of his life in Argentina, Valencia sees himself as Colombian, and expressed his pride when he was called up to the nation's under-20 side in April 2022.[8] He was called up again for the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament, making two appearances as Colombia finished fourth.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Oswaldo Valencia at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b c "Colombia - O. Valencia - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Oswaldo Valencia: la promesa colombiana que tuvo Sarmiento y quiere brillar en River" [Oswaldo Valencia: the Colombian promise that Sarmiento had and wants to shine in River]. diariodemocracia.com (in Spanish). 26 April 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d Balcarce, Germán (20 January 2020). "Oswaldo Valencia, el colombiano que sorprendió a Gallardo" [Oswaldo Valencia, the Colombian who surprised Gallardo]. capsulas.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Sargazazu, Rubén. "Oswaldo Valencia Motta: "Cumplí mi sueño de jugar en River"" [Oswaldo Valencia Motta: "I fulfilled my dream of playing for River"]. cariverplate.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Toschi, Lautaro (3 March 2023). "¿Quién es el juvenil de la Reserva que festejó como Borré?" [Who is the youth of the Reserve who celebrated like Borré?]. lapaginamillonaria.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "¡Asegura el futuro! Una de las joyitas de River firmó un contrato hasta 2025: el Millonario cerró el primer vínculo oficial de Oswaldo Valencia" [Secure the future! One of River's jewels signed a contract until 2025: the Millionaire closed Oswaldo Valencia's first official link]. tntsports.com.ar (in Spanish). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Beetar Peñuela, Juan David (1 April 2022). "Oswaldo Valencia, de River Plate a la Selección Colombia" [Oswaldo Valencia, from River Plate to the Colombian National Team]. colombia.as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- 2003 births
- People from Caquetá Department
- Living people
- Men's association football forwards
- Colombian men's footballers
- Colombia men's under-20 international footballers
- Club Atlético Sarmiento footballers
- Club Atlético River Plate footballers
- Cúcuta Deportivo footballers
- Categoría Primera B players
- Colombian expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina
- Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina