Antonio Valencia, the Manchester United great, has been hailed as a hero after intervening to prevent a young man from taking his own life on a bridge in Ecuador.
Valencia, who captained United under Jose Mourinho and played for the club from 2009 to 2019, retired four years ago and has since returned to his home country.
Earlier this week, he took to social media to share how he spotted a young man preparing to jump off a bridge and stepped in to help.
The 39-year-old posted a video on Instagram showing himself alongside police officers speaking with the individual until his family arrived.
Valencia wrote: “Last night [Monday] I had an experience that was far from pleasant. A young man wanted to end his life off this bridge, and he was very young. I got out of my car and approached him. I didn’t save him, but I tried to talk to him. Thank God he recognized me. I tried to say a few words to motivate him, and it was very difficult. Thank God his family arrived, and he decided not to take his life.
“Please, let’s take care of ourselves, our minds, and our hearts. Mental health is very important. Please, let’s protect it—life is very fragile.”
During his decade at Old Trafford, Valencia won two Premier League titles and the Europa League, and he also spent three seasons in the Premier League with Wigan Athletic.
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