A former Premier League star evaded police who were chasing him during a match because he was subbed off on a stretcher and put in the back of an ambulance
Neil Docking and Rhys Daly Senior Sports Reporter
14:53, 10 Nov 2025Updated 14:53, 10 Nov 2025
Argentine referee Mauro Vigliano gestures next to Ecuador's Enner Valencia as he conducts the Russia 2018 World Cup football qualifier match between Ecuador and Chile in Quito, on October 6, 2016.
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The former Premier League star went down injured before being whisked away - to the frustration of police(Image: Getty Images)
Enner Valencia's Premier League career wasn't particularly successful or memorable - although tell that to West Ham fans who recall his stunning 25-yard strike against Hull City in 2014.
The mercurial forward, signed for around £12m thanks to his goalscoring feats in his native Ecuador and Mexico, famously knew little about English football or the Hammers, rectifying that by watching the cult classic hooligan flick Green Street starring Elijah Wood. He scored only eight goals across two and a half injury hit seasons in London, before joining Everton on a season-long loan, where he bagged just three times for the Toffees.
Yet the striker - who turned 36 last week and is now back playing with Mexican club Pachuca where he first rose to fame - was once involved in one of the most bizarre incidents in football history. And anyone who has seen the footage of that incident certainly won't forget it in a hurry.
Valencia was playing for Ecuador against Chile in a World Cup qualifier in 2016 that would end as a 3-0 victory - against the backdrop of a child maintenance dispute with his wife.
With lawyers failing in their attempts to detain Valencia ahead of the fixture, he went down injured and was carried off by stretcher onto a medical buggy straight to an ambulance.
Enner Valencia was chased by police while put on a stretcher and taken by buggy to an ambulance
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Enner Valencia was chased by police while put on a stretcher and taken by buggy to an ambulance(Image: Sky Sports)
Footage shows police officers chasing down the cart which sped around the playing surface on the running track. A lawyer for the mother of Valencia's child hit out at the star.
Paul Marin said at the time: "It's lamentable that certain police officers didn't collaborate with the detention of the footballer [Valencia], to ensure compliance with a judicial order.
"If they say this man earns so much, why doesn't he pay [the maintenance] monthly to his daughter."
Valencia's agent Gonzalo Vargas then wrote on Twitter: "Enner as a father has fulfilled, including legally he has fought to be able to have greater time with his daughter.
Enner Valencia was put in the ambulance and taken out of the ground
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Enner Valencia was put in the ambulance and taken out of the ground(Image: Sky Sports)
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"Unfortunately certain laws of our country have many gaps, where they sentence fathers who do their utmost for their children."
Further tweets suggested that Valencia's arrest warrant had been revoked, and he remains a part of the national side to this day.
Valencia left England for Mexican club Tigres UANL in 2017, where he rebuilt his career, winning league titles and cups, before heading to Turkish giants Fenerbahçe, where he won the Turkish Cup in his final season.
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A successful spell with Brazilian club Internacional followed, before he returned to Pachuca. His international record is certainly one to admire - he's gained 102 caps for Ecuador, is there all-time top scorer with 48 goals, and played in the 2014 and 2022 World Cups.