Antony delved into surprising detail regarding his decision to snub Bayern Munich among others while securing a long-awaited move to Real Betis this summer.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim made it abundantly clear that Antony was surplus to requirements at Old Trafford last season, sanctioning his loan move to Betis for the second half of the campaign. The Brazilian forward was transformed in Seville, racking up nine goals, five assists en route to the Conference League final.
Betis’ players and fans took the loanee to heart, dubbing him ‘Antony from Triana,’ as though he was just a boyhood fan from one of the local neighbourhoods.
Still very much unwelcome back at Old Trafford, United were adamant that Antony would leave on a permanent deal this summer. Betis were naturally billed as favourites, but negotiations fluctuated wildly as the La Liga outfit stood firm on their refusal to overpay. Betis even publicly withdrew their offer on Saturday.
During this uncertainty, Antony claimed that “more than five teams called me“ in an interview on El Partidazo. One of those clubs happened to be the Bundesliga champions.
“I spoke with Bayern,” Antony revealed, “I don’t know if it was €7 million [£6.1 million, $8.2 million], but I said I had Betis’ word and that it was 95% finalised and that I would respect my word. I feel comfortable making this decision because I’m very happy here.”
The Brazilian has been openly emotional when discussing the nightmarish conclusion to his United career, which involved more than a month of isolation while trying to force through this move.
“My family is very happy,” the relieved 25-year-old admitted, “it’s very hard to be away from them, and it’s been very hard being alone in the hotel for more than 40 days. My wife was waiting in Seville, and I told her my first choice was Betis.”
“What happened today will mark my life,” Antony concluded, “it was very emotional, and I’ve never experienced that before.”
READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS AND RUMORS FROM WORLD SOCCER
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Antony Reveals European Giants He Turned Down During Man Utd Exit Talks.
