The enigmatic Brazilian winger has made the perfect start to his loan spell in Spain, and the reigning La Liga champions could be his next victims
Let's rewind to January 16, when Manchester United welcomed bottom-of-the-table Southampton to Old Trafford aiming to snap a three-game losing streak on home soil. The Red Devils went in at the break 1-0 down courtesy of an own-goal from Manuel Ugarte, and in a bid to turn the tide, head coach Ruben Amorim brought on Antony for Kobbie Mainoo at the start of the second half.
On the hour mark, Antony was presented with a glorious chance to level proceedings. Alejandro Garnacho burst into the box before firing a low cross to Antony at the back post, and it seemed like a certainty that he would turn the ball into an empty net from barely a yard out. Yet somehow, the Brazilian completely miscued a sliding shot on his weaker right side, and it slowly trickled into the arms of relieved Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
"That’s the miss of the season. I can’t believe that. Why has he gone to ground?" former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist questioned while commentating on the game for It did not come as a surprise to any of the United fans in the crowd that night, though.
Antony had become a figure of ridicule at Old Trafford long before that moment, having only managed five goals in his previous 60 Premier League appearances, a truly abysmal return from a player who the club paid Ajax £85 million ($108m) for back in August 2023. It did appear to be the final straw, though, as United sanctioned a loan exit for Antony 10 days later after receiving an attractive offer from Real Betis.
That deal effectively cemented Antony's status as one of the biggest flops in United's history – but no one is laughing at him anymore. He has spectacularly silenced his critics in his first month at Betis, and heading into a blockbuster clash against Real Madrid on Saturday, he finds his name up in lights alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr…
GettyInstant impact
According to , Betis agreed to cover 84 percent of Antony's salary during his six-month stay at Estadio Benito Villamarin, which amounts to over £100,000 per week. That was a significant investment for the mid-table La Liga club, but one they firmly believed would pay off, as sporting director Manu Fajardo told : "Antony’s arrival is exciting. From the sporting management and the coaching staff, we understood that we had to improve the second line of attack."
United, meanwhile, were hoping that Antony could perform well enough to bump up his market value again ahead of a permanent summer transfer, with reporting their ideal sale figure to be around the £34m ($43m) mark. They would have been delighted, then, to see Antony make an instant impact on his debut for Betis.
Antony went straight into Manuel Pellegrini's line up for a home fixture against Athletic Club, and he created the opening goal in the 15th minute, forcing Athletic goalkeeper Adrian into a full-stretch save that fell kindly for Isco to turn home. Betis were eventually held to a 2-2 draw, but that was by no means a bad result against a team fighting for Champions League qualification, and Antony picked up the Player of the Match award.
It was a just reward for the Brazilian's dynamic display, as he constantly ran at his marker and showed great composure in the final third. Antony rarely did either of those things at United, and there was another notable change: the big smile etched across his face.
AdvertisementGettyLiberated from fear
Antony needed only 11 minutes to leave a mark in his second game for Betis against Celta Vigo, steering the ball into the far corner of the net for his first league goal of the entire 2024-25 campaign. Diego Llorente then doubled Betis' lead, but a shocking second-half capitulation led to Celta sealing a 3-2 comeback victory.
A second successive Player of the Match award came as little consolation to Antony, who vented his frustration in a post-match interview with . "We have to change our mentality. We scored two but we have to be focused for the whole game, the 90 minutes," he said. "We have to work to be better. Betis must start and finish well. We have to work harder, and look at what we are not doing well to win the three points."
Where was that kind of honesty and leadership when Antony was at United?! The former Ajax star seemed to shrink under the pressure of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs, but has looked like a man liberated from fear right from the off in Seville.
Indeed, two games was all it took for Betis to start pondering an extended stay for Antony. When quizzed on the prospect of signing him outright in the summer, Betis CEO Ramon Alcaron told : "I think so. There is very good chemistry with Manchester [United] and with the player. It is a possibility that he will continue next season, why not?"
Getty ImagesTransformative
Five days after the loss at Celta, Antony backed up his strong words to his team-mates by scoring Betis' first goal in a 3-0 Conference League win over Gent, producing a stunning curled shot from outside the box after smartly turning away from two defenders. It was the same type of run and finish he executed regularly at Ajax, but never had the confidence to even attempt at United.
When Betis returned to La Liga action against Real Sociedad on February 16, all eyes were on Antony again, and he didn't disappoint. Pellegrini's side romped to another 3-0 victory, with a stunning volleyed goal from Antony setting them on their way, and the Brazilian walked away with the MVP award for the third league game in a row.
Antony's latest stellar display coincided with his parent club falling to 15th in the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, and there was even talk of United recalling the winger to give Amorim a much-needed extra-option in attack. That unprecedented move never came to fruition, but the mere suggestion was a testament to how much of a transformative signing Antony has been for Betis, who are now right back in the mix for a top-six finish.
Getty Images'Found myself again'
In a sit-down with Spanish publication , Antony attempted to the explain the reasons behind his resurgence in a Betis shirt. "The most important thing is that I have found myself again. I am happy to be enjoying myself every day," he began. "Things go well when we are well, happy, content… In four games, I scored three goals and gave an assist. I expected it and I didn't expect it. I have worked mentally and physically to get to this moment. I'm very happy."
Why didn't he feel that way at United? Antony described his initial transfer to Old Trafford as a "dream come true", but seemed to be carrying a weight around his shoulders whenever he took to the pitch. The huge price tag must have had something to do with it. According to , club scouts valued Antony at just £25m when his name first came up, but the number kept rising as United became more desperate in negotiations with Ajax.
As an £85m player, Antony was left facing an uphill battle to live up to unrealistic expectations. He eventually fell out of favour with ex-Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, and couldn't win his place back after Amorim replaced the Dutchman. Incredibly, though, Antony doesn't consider his time at Old Trafford to be failure.
The Sao Paulo academy graduate doesn't hold any grudges against Amorim, either, as he added: "I was playing a little, but I was working hard every day. I needed to be happy with myself. The best version of being happy with myself now, of starting well, is very important to me. I am very grateful for everything, for the coach [Ruben Amorim] too, who spoke to me. I have also done very well in Manchester; I won two titles [the FA Cup and Carabao Cup], and I am very grateful. But when I say that here, I have found myself, happiness, the people are like us in Brazil. The sun helps a lot. Every day I wake up with a smile and that is very important."
