Antony let all the emotions out at his Real Betis unveiling having finally closed the door on his Manchester United nightmare.
The Brazilian completed a permanent switch to Betis on deadline day for £21.6million having spent the second half of last season on loan at the LaLiga outfit.
Antony could barely hide his delight having escaped Manchester United
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Antony could barely hide his delight having escaped Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
It brought an end to a hellish three-year spell at Old Trafford where he scored just 12 goals from 96 appearances across all competitions.
United had made it abundantly clear to Antony he no longer had a future at the club as he was dropped by manager Ruben Amorim into a 'bomb squad' along with Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford to name three.
But Antony has now put the ordeal in the rear-view mirror and he couldn't be more thankful, so much so that he broke down into tears during his unveiling at the Abades Triana restaurant in Seville.
Antony's first words after being unveiled by Betis
"What happened in Manchester, only I know how difficult it was," Antony said.
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"Training separately, but that's part of life. I knew this moment would come. It's in the past."
Antony then took a cheeky swipe at the city of Manchester amid the vastly different landscapes of cities.
"What a difference," Antony said.
"Seville is more beautiful than Manchester. I'm finally here.
"I spent more than 40 days in a hotel. It was very hard, but everyone knew I wanted to return to Betis.
"Now, with more time, we have so many things to do and achieve."
The 25-year-old returned to Betis on a five-year contract
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The 25-year-old returned to Betis on a five-year contractCredit: Getty
The only people more elated than Antony at his signing were Betis fans themselves.
How Betis fans reacted to Antony's return
Having registered 14 goal contributions in 26 appearances for Betis last term, Antony endeared himself to the Andalusian outfit's passionate supporters.
So it was no surprise they turned out in their droves to welcome the Brazilian back to their beloved club.
"I had trouble sleeping after seeing so much affection from the Betis fans," Antony said.
"There were people waiting at my house at two in the morning.
United forked out an eye-watering £81.3m to sign Antony in August 2022
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United forked out an eye-watering £81.3m to sign Antony in August 2022Credit: Getty
"It's been very hard, but we're here now. I'm looking forward to wearing the Betis shirt again.
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"I can only thank everyone who made it possible."
With LaLiga paused until after the international break, Antony is in line to make his first appearance since the permanent move against Levante on September 14.