Diego Valencia
{{short description|Chilean footballer (born 2000)}}
{{family name hatnote|Valencia|Morello|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Diego Valencia
| image = Universidad Católica - Curicó Unido 20190331 12.jpg
| caption = Valencia with Universidad Católica
| fullname = Diego Martín Valencia Morello
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|1|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Viña del Mar, Chile
| height = 1.81 m
| position = Forward
| currentclub = Universidad Católica
| clubnumber = 30
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Academia La Serena
| youthyears2 = 2014–2018
| youthclubs2 = Universidad Católica
| years1 = 2018–2022 | clubs1 = Universidad Católica | caps1 = 93 | goals1 = 24
| years2 = 2022–2025 | clubs2 = Salernitana | caps2 = 16 | goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2023–2024 | clubs3 = → Atromitos (loan) | caps3 = 29 | goals3 = 2
| years4 = 2025– | clubs4 = Universidad Católica | caps4 = 11 | goals4 = 1
| nationalyears1 = 2017
| nationalteam1 = Chile U17
| nationalcaps1 = 8
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2018–2019
| nationalteam2 = Chile U20
| nationalcaps2 = 8
| nationalgoals2 = 1
| nationalyears3 = 2020
| nationalteam3 = Chile U23
| nationalcaps3 = 1
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| nationalyears4 = 2021–
| nationalteam4 = Chile
| nationalcaps4 = 8
| nationalgoals4 = 0
| club-update = 20 June 2025
| nationalteam-update = 19:18, 29 January 2022 (UTC)
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}
{{MedalCountry|{{CHI}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|South American Games}}
{{MedalGold|2018 Cochabamba|}}
}}
Diego Martín Valencia Morello (born 14 January 2000) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Universidad Católica and the Chile national team .
Club career
=Early years=
As a youth player, Valencia was with Academia La Serena before joining the Universidad Católica youth system.(Academia La Serena) [https://web.facebook.com/AcademiaLaSerena/posts/10158480892719333/ Entrevistando a Diego Valencia, fútbolista profesional de la U. Católica y ex alumno Acádemia....] on Facebook {{inlang|es}}. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
=Universidad Catolica=
Valencia debuted the year 2018 in the match against Deportes Iquique in San Carlos de Apoquindo, on the following date, gave assistance for the goal of the draw against Palestinian in La Cisterna. in the year 2018 he converted his first goals, in the triumph of Catolica against Coquimbo Unido, a match that was also his debut as a starter in the team.{{cite news |url=https://www.radioagricultura.cl/deportes/2019/02/16/diego-valencia-y-su-debut-estoy-muy-feliz-por-mis-primeros-goles-en-el-profesionalismo.html |title=Diego Valencia Y Su Debut: "Estoy Muy Feliz Por Mis Primeros Goles En El Profesionalismo" |language=es |date=30 June 2011 |access-date=20 February 2019 |archive-date=10 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810161506/https://www.radioagricultura.cl/deportes/2019/02/16/diego-valencia-y-su-debut-estoy-muy-feliz-por-mis-primeros-goles-en-el-profesionalismo.html |url-status=dead }}
=Salernitana=
On 11 July 2022, Valencia signed a four-year contract with Italian club Salernitana.{{cite web|publisher=Salernitana|url=https://www.ussalernitana1919.it/diego-valencia-e-un-nuovo-giocatore-della-salernitana/|title=Diego Valencia È Un Nuovo Giocatore Della Salernitana|date=11 July 2022|access-date=12 July 2022|language=it}}
=Atromitos (loan)=
On 9 September 2023, he joined on loan to Super League Greece side Atromitos on a deal for a year with an option to buy.{{cite web |title=Παίκτης του Ατρόμητου ο Ντιέγο Βαλένσια! |url=https://www.atromitosfc.gr/news/paiktis-tou-atromitou-o-ntiego-valensia/ |website=Atromitos FC |access-date=9 September 2023 |language=el |date=9 September 2023}}
=Release by Salernitana=
On 2 February 2025, Valencia's contract with Salernitana was terminated by mutual consent.{{cite web|publisher=Salernitana|url=https://salernitana.it/news/diego-valencia-risoluzione-consensuale/|title=Diego Valencia: risoluzione consensuale del contratto|trans-title=Diego Valencia: consensual termination of contract|date=2 February 2025|access-date=2 February 2025|language=it}}
International career
Diego managed to make the winning goal of the Chile national U20 team, when the Odesur won.{{cite news|url=https://redgol.cl/2018/6/quien-es-diego-valencia-el-flaco-de-la-ser/ |title=el flaco de La Serena que hizo el Gol de Oro para la selección chilena en los Odesur |language=es |date=30 June 2011}}
In 2019, he was called to the national sub 20 team, after the injury of Nicolás Guerra.{{cite news|url=http://www.anfp.cl/noticia/32442/parte-medico-de-la-seleccion-chilena-sub-20 |title=Nomina Sub 20, Diego Valencia |language=es |date=30 June 2011}}
At senior level, he was called up to the Chile national team for the 2021 Copa América Quarter-finals to replace Guillermo Maripán due to an injury,{{cite web |title=Chile ya tiene al reemplazante de Maripán en la Copa América - TyC Sports |url=https://www.tycsports.com/copa-america/chile-valencia-maripan-copa-america-id353071.html |publisher=TyC Sports |access-date=5 July 2021 |language=es |date=28 June 2021}} making his international debut against Brazil.{{cite web |last1=Inostroza |first1=Valeska |title=Diego Valencia agradeció su debut en La Roja ante Brasil: "Un sueño cumplido que nunca olvidaré" |url=https://www.encancha.cl/todo-cancha/2021/7/3/diego-valencia-agradecio-su-debut-en-la-roja-ante-brasil-un-sueno-cumplido-que-nunca-olvidare-107874.html |website=www.encancha.cl |access-date=5 July 2021 |language=es |date=3 July 2021}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|20 June 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sofascore.com/player/diego-valencia/906110|title=Diego Valencia|publisher=SofaScore|accessdate=18 October 2019}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="6"|Universidad Católica
|2018 |2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2019
|Primera División |17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5{{efn|Three appearances in Copa Libertadores, two in Copa Sudamericana}} | 0 | 1{{efn|name=SC|Appearance(s) in the Supercopa de Chile}} | 1 | 25 | 5 | |
| 2020
|Primera División |30 | 4 | colspan="2"|— | 9{{efn|Four appearances in Copa Libertadores, five in Copa Sudamericana}} | 0 | 1{{efn|name=SC}} | 0 | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2021
|Primera División |31 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 8{{efn|name=CL|Appearance(s) in the Copa Libertadores}} | 2 | 1{{efn|name=SC}} | 0 | 42 | 17 | |
| 2022
|Primera División |13 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7{{efn|Five appearances in Copa Libertadores, one in Copa Sudamericana}} | 1 | 1{{efn|name=SC}} | 0 | 22 | 5 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!93 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 3 | 4||1 | 132 | 31 | ||
| rowspan="3"|Salernitana
|12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25
|Serie A |4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 5 | 0 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 18 | 0 | |||
| Atromitos (loan)
|29 | 2 | 5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 34 | 2 | |||
| Universidad Católica
|2025 |Primera División |11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1{{efn|name=COS|Appearances in Copa Sudamericana}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 15 | 1 | ||
| colspan="3"|Career total
!149 | 27 | 16 | 3||30 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 199 | 34 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|14 June 2022}}{{Soccerway|diego-valencia/906110|accessdate=3 March 2022}}
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="2" |Chile
|2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| colspan="2" |Total||7||0 |
Honours
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|diego-valencia/475884}}
{{Universidad Católica squad}}
{{Chile squad 2021 Copa América}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valencia, Diego}}
Category:Chilean men's footballers
Category:Footballers from Viña del Mar
Category:Chile men's under-20 international footballers
Category:Chile men's youth international footballers
Category:Chile men's international footballers
Category:Chilean expatriate men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Club Deportivo Universidad Católica footballers
Category:US Salernitana 1919 players
Category:Atromitos F.C. players
Category:Chilean Primera División players
Category:Super League Greece players
Category:South American Games gold medalists for Chile
Category:South American Games medalists in football
Category:Competitors at the 2018 South American Games
Category:South American Games competitors for Chile
Category:2021 Copa América players
Category:Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Category:Chilean expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Italy