On a beautiful Saturday in Vigo, Spain, supporters of Celta Vigo and the opposing team, Real Betis made the stadium rumble and shake with their songs and cheers. In the 10th minute of the game, Real Betis’s newest player Antony scored his first goal in his second match and the spectators went wild. At the end of the match, the brand-new winger of Real Betis received a Man of the Match award for his astonishing performance.
25-year-old Brazilian soccer player Antony is becoming an important player at Real Betis after being loaned out from Manchester United in January 2025. Antony has 8 goals and assists in his first 13 games at Real Betis, a huge difference compared to his disappointing performance in the beginning of the season when he was still at Manchester United.
His transfer to Real Betis came after the young players scored only one goal in 14 games. This did not seem to justify the transfer fee of 95 million euros that Manchester United had to pay to get him on their squad, leaving fans and club to wonder if he should even remain with the team.
Now his recent turnaround may help him redeem himself in Manchester United’s eyes.
Antony has previously played for São Paulo FC, Ajax, and Manchester United in the right winger position. During Antony’s three years at Ajax, he showcased his quick skill moves and contributed 46 goals and assists in 82 games. Many teams expressed interest in acquiring him and he ultimately decided to transfer to Manchester United in England. But to secure that deal, the club was required to pay a hefty 95-million-euro fee.
Fans all over the world anticipated that he would become a young talent in the soccer world. Antony scored a goal in each of his first three games at Manchester United and he made the supporters believe that his high transfer fee was worth it.
However, during the Premier League season of 2023-2024, Antony struggled to contribute a goal or an assist in his first 21 appearances. Manager Erik Ten Hag began to drop him out of the starting squad on certain games. The coach said, “I think it’s very simple. His off-field issues stop him playing [well].”
At the time, Antony was facing relationship issues with his former partner and another woman who made allegations such as domestic abuse towards him, leading the Greater Manchester police to investigate this situation.
According to Erik Ten Hag, the allegations were affecting the way Antony plays. “He has to sort them out, but has to do better [on the field]”, Ten Hag said.
It took Antony 25 appearances to contribute his first goal and assist in that season, creating controversy over the large sum of the transfer fee. To finish that season, Antony only managed three goals and two assists in 38 appearances. For comparison, another right winger in the same league, Newcastle United’s Miguel Almiron, had three times the number of goals and assists that season.
After the underwhelming season, Antony was loaned out to Real Betis, a Spanish club in the first division league. While it was a step down in the level of competition, Antony would get more minutes played. His supporters might also hope he could get the confidence back that he initially showed before his personal problems appeared.
He was awarded three Man of the Matches and scored three goals in his first three games with Real Betis.
Antony has become a fan favorite of the club by helping the team go from 10th place to 6th place in the La Liga standings. In the 12 games since Antony’s arrival, they have won eight games, tied twice, and lost twice. Currently, they are on a six-game winning streak and Antony has been excelling in all the games he has appeared in, gaining an average rating of 7.6/10 in each game.
In a post-game interview after a soccer match against Sevilla, Antony’s teammate, Isco said,” “We need to crowdfund so he can stay at least another year.”
Most notably, on March 16, Antony started in an away game against C.D. Leganes. He played the entire game, contributing to a comeback where Real Betis was down 2-0 in the first half and won the game with an impressive scoreline of 2-3. In this game, Antony created the most chances and completed the most dribbles in the match. Leading to the 3rd goal to seal the comeback, Antony made a cross into the 18-yard box, where it grazed Isco and bounced into Juan Hernandez’s feet, where he finished it to the left side of the net.
Antony is not the first Manchester United player to find a new footing after being sent out on loan. Soccer player Jadon Sancho, transferred to Manchester United in 2021 at the price of 85 million euros but did not perform as well as his coach wanted him to. After a public disagreement with Eric Ten Hag, Sancho was lent to his old club, Borussia Dortmund, where he showed signs of why he is such a valuable player. Jurgen Klinsmann, a former Tottenham and Germany striker, told Sky Sports that “[Jadon Sancho has shown] that he can perform at the highest level, [and] he has shown in the past in his young career. So, I was really pleased that he picked up the pace now and is looking good, looking sharp.”
Antony says he is feeling good as a member of Real Betis. “The most important thing is that I’ve found myself again. I’m happy to be enjoying every day,” he said in an interview with Real Betis. “I was sure in my heart that coming here was the best decision for me. I hope to continue like this.”
Cover Image: antony00 on Instagram
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