Alex Eduardo Valera Nazario Sandoval was born on 16 May 1996 in Pomalca, Lambayeque, Peru. His route was not the classic academy-to-elite path; he rose through smaller Peruvian clubs and earned attention through goals, persistence and a powerful left foot.
Valera made his name with Deportivo Llacuabamba and then Universitario de Deportes, where he became a leading domestic striker. He had a spell abroad with Al-Fateh in Saudi Arabia, but his strongest identity has been with Universitario, where he won domestic honours and became a reliable scorer in front of a demanding fan base.
By 2026 he remained with Universitario, still one of the main Peruvian-based centre-forwards in the national conversation. His value to the club comes from finishing, penalty-box movement and the ability to attack crosses when Universitario pushes opponents back.
For Peru he debuted during the 2021 Copa América period and has stayed in the senior pool through later qualifiers and Copa América squads. He has often been used as a local-league alternative behind Paolo Guerrero and Gianluca Lapadula, especially when Peru needed a more direct forward.
Standing around 1.83 m, Valera is a left-footed centre-forward with a strong shot, aerial presence and emotional edge. His profile resembles a domestic, left-footed version of Paolo Guerrero in his willingness to battle centre-backs, while his penalty-box instincts invite comparisons with Raúl Ruidíaz.