As a former West Ham United striker hops into his DeLorean, trading in Doc Brown’s trademark lab coat for a gleaming white tracksuit, we have a late candidate for the summer’s very best transfer unveiling.
If you care about that sort of thing.
Some may pine for the days when new signings were announced via a firm handshake and a waving of the scarf.
But while West Ham United tend to keep things somewhat low-key, former Upton Park hitman Enner Valencia marked his Pachuca homecoming with all the bells, all the whistles, and a mini Back to the Future reboot starring the Ecuador icon channelling his inner Christopher Lloyd.
After over a decade away, Enner Valencia set the date to 2014, ramped up the flux capacitor, and slammed his foot onto the accelerator until he hit the magic speed of 88 miles per hour.
Enner Valencia re-joins Pachuca eleven years after leaving for West Ham United
Eleven years after leaving Pachuca for West Ham – and two years after Spanish giants Barcelona considered a shock move for a striker who has grown stronger with age – the evergreen poacher rejoins the club where he really made his name on the other side of the Atlantic.
It was Valencia’s prolific spell at Pachuca back in 2014 which paved the way for his £12 million move to the Premier League.
He scored 18 goals in 25 matches during a brief but brilliant stint in Mexico’s top flight. If his return proves to be just as successful, well the five-point gap separating Pachuca from Liga MX leaders Monterrey should shorten pretty quickly.
This caps an emotional couple of days for the one-time Everton loanee.
Valencia earned his 100th cap for the Ecuadorian national team earlier in the week. A fairly remarkable tally of 47 goals in a century of appearances, meanwhile, also makes the 35-year-old La Tri’s all-time record goalscorer.
“Together with the coaching staff, teammates, directors, and everyone who is part of La Tri, we make up a beautiful family,” Valencia beamed, speaking to ESPN. “And against a united family, there are no invincible rivals.
“Reaching 100 matches representing my country… In front of my family, and a stadium painted in yellow, blue, and red is a dream come true. All I can say is a heartfelt thank you.”
Manuel Lanzini wins trophy in Argentina while Lucas Perez aims for La Liga homecoming
Enner Valencia’s most memorable moment arguably came on the international stage, while wearing the sunny colours of his beloved Ecuador. The one-time West Ham striker opened the Qatar World Cup with a brilliant brace against the hosts.
Nearly three years on, as Valencia marked his 100th cap with a penalty during Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over reigning world champions Argentina, Pachuca are clearly getting a centre-forward who continues to laugh defiantly in the face of Father Time.
In a week of big moments for former Hammers, Manuel Lanzini triumphed in the Argentina Supercopa just three games into his Velez Sarsfield career.
“I’m very happy after everything that happened to me,” a relieved Lanzini told Ole after bringing an end to an underwhelming second spell with River Plate.
“The truth is that these were months of great uncertainty, during which I experienced a moment I wasn’t expecting. Everything has its reward, and this is one of them. It’s nice to achieve things.
Another one-time claret-and-blue frontman is also keen to extend his goalscoring legacy, meanwhile. Lucas Perez is eyeing a La Liga return at the age of 37.
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