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 . “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 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.
