Antonio Valencia will return to Old Trafford for a charity match between Manchester United and Celtic legends in September.
The former United midfielder and defender made over 300 appearances for the Reds between 2009 and 2019. Valencia won numerous trophies at the club including two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Europa League. He retired in 2021 after a brief stint at Mexican club Queretaro.
And United have confirmed that Valencia will appear alongside fellow club legends Dimitar Berbatov, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes with Bryan Robson as manager and Andy Cole as his assistant. The Red Devils XI will face off against a Celtic XI managed by Paul Lambert on Saturday, September 7.
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When asked about his thoughts on playing at Old Trafford again, Valencia could not hide his excitement after previously playing a Legends game against Liverpool at Anfield in 2022.
“I’m so much looking forward to it,” he told United’s official website. “Every time that I get the invitation, I make sure that I can be there. It’s going to be fun to see so many friends, the stadium and my former team-mates.
“I’m really anticipating it. It was really great last time, an incredible game against a historic rival of ours and just to be able to help the Foundation.
“They are why I like to come to Manchester to support this, of course, because it’s a really tough job to do. What they are doing for the young people around the Manchester area, and elsewhere, I know how much work goes into it.”
“I’ve been an ambassador for UNICEF, while I was in Manchester, and I bought my own Foundation here in Ecuador. I try to help as many kids as possible. It’s something I’ve always been keen to do.”
On facing Celtic, he added: “I have a very good memory of Scottish people and how nice they are. Not just with my teammates, not only at United but also with Wigan. And, obviously, especially the boss – Sir Alex Ferguson. I’m really expecting this to be a lot of fun.”