A matter of mere months since Manchester United swallowed an enormous loss on their costly investment, Antony has been billed as the perfect blend of Neymar Jr.’s Brazilian swagger and Cristiano Ronaldo’s tireless work ethic by his current Real Betis teammate Marc Bartra.
Antony has found a safe haven in Seville. The Brazilian outcast in Manchester, who lost his starting place under Erik ten Hag and never gained one during Ruben Amorim’s tenure, was offloaded for just €22 million (£19.4 million, $25.6 million) this summer, less than a quarter of the €95 million United paid Ajax for the diminutive winger three short years earlier.
Betis even had the luxury of adopting the try-before-you-buy model. Antony joined the La Liga outfit on loan for the second half of last season and proved to be an instant revelation. The Brazilian was voted MVP in each of his first two outings in green and white, surpassing his tally of one Player of the Match award across 62 Premier League appearances.
Harnessing the freedom afforded by Manuel Pellegrini—both tactically and emotionally—Antony scored nine goals and teed up five more as Betis finished sixth in La Liga and made it all the way to the Conference League final.
“For me, he has that Brazilian quality and talent,” Betis captain Bartra gushed to MundoBetis. “I always say he’s a bit of a mix of Neymar and Cristiano: that Cristiano mentality of always striving for more and being incredibly focused.”
This will be particularly satisfying praise for Antony considering his counts those two icons of La Liga among his greatest idols. “The art of Ronaldinho and Cristiano and Neymar inspired me as a child,” he told The Players’ Tribune in 2022. “I watched these Gods in amazement on stolen WiFi, then I went out to the concrete pitch to try to imitate their genius.”
In the eyes of Bartra, at least, Antony is now playing out his fantasies in Spain’s top flight.
What Went Wrong for Antony at Man Utd?
Bartra puts much of Antony’s transformation down to a mentality issue. Having enjoyed a similar boost by switching clubs mid-season, the former Barcelona academy graduate explained: “I also remember it very well from my experience when I came from [Borussia] Dortmund. I arrived in the winter, and it was like a shot of something special, a feeling of respect and affection from minute one.
“I saw him the same way, in that win-win situation, you could say. Betis won with him, and he won with Betis.
“I felt very connected to him, and on top of that, you could see that the team has a wonderful group of people who give you your space, your place, make you feel good, and have fans who love them.”
Any sense of affection for Antony at Old Trafford did not last long. Bought for more than twice as much as Ole Gunnar Solskjær had been willing to pay for him while he was at United, Ten Hag was quickly rewarded by his former Ajax star with a goal in each of his first three Premier League appearances. Antony would score only two more times over the subsequent three years.
After a middling debut season as United’s first-choice option on the right wing, Antony’s entire spell in England was tainted by allegations of domestic abuse which emerged in September 2023. Antony denies all accusations.
“I think that, apart from my football life, my personal life got in the way a lot, because of the things I went through, the moments I lived there,” he explained to ESPN Brasil last season. “Like it or not, it’s affected me a lot.”
A change of scenery has undoubtedly lifted the cloud hanging over Antony. “I always look at happiness first, and I was very happy here,” he said when explaining why he opted to return to Betis in the summer despite being supposedly offered a more lucrative move to Bayern Munich.
“I know my children and my wife are happy here. Before making the decision, I spoke with my family; it’s an incredible city, and the people too. Not just the fans, but everyone. I looked at my happiness first, because I know that when I’m happy, things turn out well.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Man Utd’s Biggest Transfer Flop Has Become a ‘Mix of Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo’.
