FEW players get the chance to redeem themselves after being labelled an outright flop.
But following his disastrous £86m move to Manchester United, has gone from zero to hero thanks to a spectacular loan switch to side .
The Brazilian was unable to live up to his mammoth price tag when he swapped for in 2022, scoring just five league goals in 62 appearances for Man Utd.
And when he was sent on loan to Real Betis in January it felt like a move to help remove distractions and take hefty wages off the books at United amid ‘s upheaval of a failing squad.
Instead, it turned out to be the revival of Antony’s career.
The switch has seen Antony’s reputation do a full 180 flip, earning him a return to the national team fold with and an army of adoring Betis fans begging for him to stay.
DANCING WITH THE DEVILS
Antony, 25, had battled with poor form, the heavy weight of his mega transfer fee and the pressure of playing for a club under the brightest of spotlights during his time at .
Fans had been calling for him to be dropped and pundits and ex-pros were scathing in their assessments of his time in the Premier League.
It was something that was clearly getting to the former Sao Paolo winger, who revealed this week that
In an emotional interview with Brazil, Antony revealed: “I wanted to do things [at Man Utd], but they didn’t see to work out because I wasn’t happy.
“I didn’t feel that desire to play , and I needed to find myself and be happy again because playing football was always something I loved.
“I went through difficult times when I no longer felt that pleasure. I even always told my brother, I told him that I couldn’t take it anymore.
“[My brother] told me to hold on a little longer, that things were going to change. It even made me emotional, because they were very hard days for me.
“Only I know what it was like to be there at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room.
“So, for me it was very complicated, but thank God, with the help of my family and mainly with the help of God, I managed to get ahead and today I am very happy here.”;;
BET-IS ON ME
It looked like Antony was down and out at United, a player that wasn’t going to return to the form that earned him his Premier League move in the first place.
That was until ‘s Betis came knocking, offering to pay in excess of 84 percent of Antony’s £130,000-per-week salary to give him a shot at redemption.
Antony jumped at the opportunity, telling the club’s official outlet when he first signed: “When the opportunity arose to come to Betis, my head was already here”;;.
Betis needed a spark, finding themselves on a run of nine games with just one win in La Liga – Antony would be the man to provide it.
After just six appearances for his new club, Antony had made five goal contributions – helping the Spanish side return to form and book a spot in the Last 16 of the Conference League.
Things looked like they could have got off to a shocking start when he was during a 2-1 win.
Fortunately, that decision was and Antony returned to the side the following week to help Betis pull off a shock 2-1 victory over Real Madrid.
FEEL GOOD, PLAY GOOD
Antony was enjoying football again,
The Brazilian, who recently , was seeing the results of his clear mind play out on the pitch.
Conversation is Spain has put Antony as one of La Liga’s best players in the second half of the season.
His efforts helped Betis secure a place for next season, finishing sixth as they lost just three league games since his arrival from United.
That run included a win over , a draw against champions and a
It was that 2-1 win over that prompted Betis teammate to tell Dazn: “We’ll have to do a crowdfunding to bring him here another year at least”;;.
While Antony had fallen in love with the club, saying: “I love the club, the city, everything. The sunshine, the people, the food: it reminds me of Brazil.
“And most importantly, I’ve found myself. I wasn’t playing much [at United]. I needed to be happy in myself.”;;
EUR THE MAN
It isn’t just in La Liga where Antony has shone, but also in the Conference League.
Betis have earned a place in Wednesday’s Conference League final against , the club’s FIRST EVER European final.
And they wouldn’t have done it without Antony.
The silky dribbler has made seven goal contributions during the knockout phases of the competition – including crucial influences in the semi-final against .
A stunning winner in the first leg and a
Now he has the opportunity to cap off what has been a fairytale loan spell with European silverware and a place in the history books at Betis.
REAPING THE REWARDS
Antony has scored nine goals and provided five assists in his 25 appearances for Betis this term.
That form hasn’t gone unnoticed.
This week Antony earned his first callup to the Brazilian national team since 2023.
The 16-time Brazil cap will wear the famous yellow shirt once again after new boss was impressed by what he has seen from the winger in La Liga.
Antony will join the likes of , and in Ancelotti’s squad for Brazil’s upcoming World Cup qualifying clashes with Ecuador and Paraguay.
ANT GOING ANYWHERE
Naturally, with those spectacular performance comes a clamor for the 25-year-old to stay at Betis.
Los Verdiblancos fans are keen to see the Antony remain at the Benito Villamarin stadium, so much so they have begun chanting for him to stay put.
The former flop is .
It’s not just fans that have voiced their opinions on Antony’s future either, Betis legend Joaquin joked that he was prepared to “kidnap”;; the star man in order to prevent him returning to Man Utd.
He told Movistar TV: “I’ll provide the car if he has to be kidnapped, but let him stay no matter what. However it happens, he has to stay.”;;
The Athletic report that representatives from Man Utd and Betis are set to discuss Antony’s future at the end of the season, having already spoken during the Conference League semi-finals.
It’s thought that United would require a £32.5m fee to avoid a loss on Antony under the PSR regulations.
That fee is understood to be a stretch for Betis, who could instead offer to pay Antony’s full wage packet to convince the Red Devils to let him leave on loan again next term.
Betis president Angel Haro recently told COPE radio: “To buy Antony outright would be very, very difficult.
“We’ll have a meeting with Manchester to extend the loan for another year, to be able to share a percentage of the player... it’s about seeing the predisposition of the player, and of Manchester.”;;
