Antonio Valencia Teams Up With Premier League Icons at English Amateur Side
An amateur football club in England's Cheshire Vets League Premier Division has assembled a roster that reads like a who's who of Premier League history.
Antonio Valencia, the 40-year-old former Manchester United star who made 339 appearances for the Red Devils and won two Premier League championships during his decade-long stay at Old Trafford, has signed with Wythenshawe Vets. The Ecuadorian international will find plenty of familiar faces in the dressing room, joining a squad that features Emile Heskey, Marc Albrighton, Joleon Lescott, Danny Drinkwater, Papiss Cissé, Oumar Niasse, and Stephen Ireland.
A Premier League all-star lineup in amateur football
Heskey tops the squad's Premier League appearance chart with an impressive 516 matches across stints with Leicester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wigan, and Aston Villa. Valencia follows with 325 top-flight appearances accumulated during his time with Manchester United and Wigan. Albrighton (310 appearances) and Lescott round out the experienced core.
The Cheshire Vets League caters to players 35 years of age and older, which makes Wythenshawe's dominance both understandable and somewhat comical. Through their opening seven matches, they've maintained a perfect record while outscoring opponents by a staggering 54 goals. That's right — seven games, 54 goals in their favour.
- Emile Heskey — 516 Premier League matches, 62 England caps
- Antonio Valencia — 339 Manchester United appearances, 2 Premier League titles
- Marc Albrighton — 310 Premier League appearances, 1 Premier League title with Leicester
- Joleon Lescott — former Everton and Manchester City defender
- Danny Drinkwater — 2016 Premier League champion with Leicester City
- Papiss Cissé & Oumar Niasse — Senegalese forwards formerly of Newcastle and Everton
- Stephen Ireland, Maynor Figueroa, Nedum Onuoha, Cameron Jerome, Jefferson Montero
The bigger picture for a community club
According to BBC Sport, Wythenshawe operates more than 80 teams spanning men's, women's, and youth football. Having professional legends like Valencia and Heskey training alongside under-12 players and weekend recreational footballers represents a unique opportunity for a grassroots organization — one that likely provides more value to their youth development programs than any silverware.
Valencia hung up his professional boots in 2021, so this isn't a return to competitive football at the highest level. Instead, it's a 40-year-old former international looking to stay active with a team where his presence makes sense. Based on their current league standing, opposing teams certainly aren't enjoying the experience of facing this star-studded lineup.