Flamengo officially announced the arrival of striker Anthony Valencia as its new reinforcement. Through its digital platforms, the Rio club confirmed, on September 1, 2026, the acquisition of the 23-year-old Ecuadorian player. He played for Royal Antwerp, from Belgium, and signed a contract valid until 2031.
The player arrived in Rio de Janeiro a few days earlier to introduce himself and formalize his contract with Flamengo. Valencia will wear the number 14 shirt, the number that belonged to Arrascaeta before the Uruguayan took on the number 10. The signing of Joaquín Freitas, from River Plate, is also at an advanced stage and its officialization is expected soon.
In an interview with FlamengoTV, the striker revealed his motivation for accepting the proposal. “I received the information through my agent. He told me that José Boto had seen me, that is, that he was interested in me. When my agent said that Flamengo wanted me, I didn’t think twice and said yes right away. Because Flamengo is a very big club, which is always fighting for competitions, it wants to win. I like to compete and that’s why I came here, to win titles and make my contribution to Flamengo”, declared Valencia.
The athlete’s medical examinations were carried out on the date of his arrival, at which time he also met with director José Boto at a hotel in the South Zone of Rio. The following day, he visited Ninho do Urubu to complete the bureaucratic part and introduce himself to the other players. Flamengo is working to ensure that Valencia’s regularization occurs in time for him to be selected against Mirassol, in a match scheduled for September 4, 2026, at Maracanã.
Valencia expressed his satisfaction with the reception at the club: “When I arrived, everyone welcomed me in the best way, they welcomed me and that made me feel good. There are many teammates here who also speak Spanish. And they help me a little with Portuguese, because I have to learn. But we are going little by little. I feel happy. We hope that on Wednesday the teacher can count on me and I can have minutes”, commented the striker.
Valencia’s arrival fills the vacancy left by Plata, who was recently traded to Dynamo Moscow. Flamengo’s new athlete landed at Rio de Janeiro International Airport, but chose not to give interviews to the journalists who were waiting for him.
The cost of the transaction is estimated at 5 million euros (equivalent to R$30.08 million), an amount corresponding to all of the player’s economic rights. Royal Antwerp, his former club, will retain a 15% interest in a future sale of Valencia.
Anthony Valencia, aged 23, is a product of the Independiente del Valle academy, a club that, interestingly enough, will be Flamengo’s opponent in the quarter-finals of the Libertadores. The player was also called up for the 2026 World Cup by the Ecuador national team and accumulated 13 goals and seven assists playing for Royal Antwerp this season.
Regarding the reunion with his former club, Valencia commented: “It will be a very beautiful duel because I did my entire training process at Del Valle. I graduated there, I have many teammates there. Some sent me messages, they are happy and I hope to be able to see them. I want to win the Libertadores with Flamengo, it is one of the most important titles, especially for me as a South American. Winning the Libertadores would be a very big achievement”, he assessed.
Flamengo is in a race against the clock to finalize the registration of its new players. Although the transfer window in Brazil extends until September 11th, the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) set September 4th as the deadline for signing up reinforcements for the Libertadores quarter-finals.