Former West Ham striker Enner Valencia has promised to donate any cash he gets from the World Cup to help kids escape the most murderous streets of Ecuador.
Valencia, 33, has put himself in the frame for the Golden Boot with three goals in his first two appearances at the World Cup. But his bid for glory in Qatar is made even more remarkable by the fact that he was born and bred in Esmeralda, the border province close to Colombia that has an homicide rate that makes it one of the top-10 deadliest places in the world.
The murder rate currently stands at 64 per every 100,000 people - and the Ecuadorian government have now abandoned the area and left innocent people to fend for themselves against the drug gangs and paramilitary groups that rule the streets with deadly intent.
It is known nationally as “the forgotten place of Ecuador.” Valencia is loved in his homeland for his goals - and his generosity in funding a number of social projects in Esmerelda.
He has said that any appearance money and bonuses he makes in Qatar will go into the pot. Valencia, born in the town of San Lorenzo, has experienced the terror first hand.
Two years ago, on the day he signed for Turkish club Fenerbahce, his sister Erci was kidnapped by a gang. She was later released but it has never been revealed how her freedom was secured.
Valencia comes from a poverty-stricken background. As a young boy, he would help his father to earn a modest living by milking cows. He also had to face racial discrimination on a daily basis because of his Afro-Ecuadorian heritage.
Afro-Ecuadorians made up just over seven per cent of the country’s population, yet account for 40 percent of those people deemed to be living in poverty. They are systematically deprived of access to education, justice and regular jobs.
Valencia has become an inspiration to youngsters growing up in his old neighbourhood. Esmeralda has become a gateway into Ecuador for the drug cartels smuggling narcotics across the border.
Kids who should be at school are forced to distribute drugs for a pittance that helps feed their families. Valencia spent three years in the Premier League after moving to Upton Park in a £12million deal from Mexican club Pachuca. One of those seasons was spent on-loan at Everton before he returned to Mexico with Tigres.
