After a difficult two-and-a-half-year stay at Manchester United, Antony joined Real Betis on loan in the January transfer window.
United paid a total package worth £86million (€100m / $109.6m) to sign him from Ajax in the summer of 2022, but he failed to justify that price tag.
The 25-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim but is now starting to rediscover his best form in LaLiga.
We’ve taken a look at how Antony has performed at Real Betis and what the future might hold for him.
Antony’s Real Betis form
Antony made his Real Betis debut in a 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao and picked up the Player of the Match award following the full-time whistle.
He opened his account for the club in a 3-2 defeat against Celta Vigo and received the Player of the Match award for the second successive game.
The winger also registered a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad before setting up their opening goal in the 2-1 win against Getafe.
He was subsequently nominated for LaLiga’s Player of the Month award for February but missed out to Athletic Bilbao’s Oihan Sancet.
Since making his Real Betis debut, Antony has created more chances from open play (17) and more big chances (6) than any other player in LaLiga.
Betis have moved four places up the LaLiga table with him in the side and they are currently level on points with Villarreal in fifth.
The Brazil international has also helped Manuel Pellegrini’s side reach the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals with two goals and two assists in the competition.
Overall, he has registered four goals and four assists in 11 appearances for Retis Betis and is currently averaging a direct goal contribution every 113.3 minutes.
To put that into context, he has just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances for United and averaged a direct goal contribution every 319.7 minutes.
Antony scores his first goal for Betis! 🔥
A big moment for the Brazilian on loan from Manchester United 🌴🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/D8XeAlPSvc
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) February 8, 2025
What they’re saying
🗣️ “The most important thing has been his attitude and his self-criticism,” Pellegrini said. “If they paid that much money for him it is because he is a player of a great level, who for reasons unknown to me was not able to perform as expected at Manchester United.
“It is a revenge on himself to show that he is a much more mature player. I have spoken a lot with him to make him calm, without wanting to show great things, but to keep it simple.
“He is a great player who does important things for the team, and I hope he continues at that level until the end of the season because he will help us a lot.”
🗣️ “He was a constant threat,” Pellegrini said after the win over Getafe. “He’s a top-class player and his attitude and willingness to better himself have been really important.
“I’ve told him to show what he is capable of, to do the simple things well. He’s wanting to do what’s good for the team, not what makes him look good on the ball.”
🗣️ “It has been an incredible experience for both him and his family,” agent Junior Pedroso said. “It seems that he has been at Betis for years, so natural has his adaptation been.
“He feels completely comfortable in Seville and is delighted with the city and the club. All this reinforces that the decision was absolutely correct.
“LaLiga was the ideal destination … Betis is a competitive team, that has a style of play that adapts well to Antony’s qualities and an experienced coach like Manuel Pellegrini, who knows how to make the most of attacking players.”
🗣️ “Antony is a very good teammate,” Romain Perraud said. “He played a great debut – he provides a very important support for us. He has magic.”
🗣️ “It’s very easy to play with him,” Isco said. “He’s got a brutal talent. You have to put your talent at the service of the team. Let’s see if we can take that step forward to reach Europe.”
🗣️ “We didn’t expect him to be in such good shape, but he’s a great player, I’m close to him every day and he’s happy,” Natan said. “He’s going to help us and give us a lot of joy.”
What he has said
🗣️ “The most important thing is that I have found myself again,” Antony said in February. “I am happy to be enjoying myself every day. 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 am very happy about that. When I was in England I continued working mentally and physically I was also feeling well. I was preparing for this moment. Now, I am very happy to be enjoying and living an incredible moment.
“I wasn’t playing much, but I’ve been working hard. I needed to be happy with myself. The best version of being happy with myself is the most important thing. I played very little in Manchester, but I’m grateful to them and also to the coach, who spoke to me.
“I have a lot of friends who played here and they left me very calm so that I could sign here. I was sure in my heart that coming here was the best decision for me. I hope to continue like this. The players who have been here, like Ricardo Oliveira and Denilson, who sent me messages and told me how good the fans were.
“I’ve had a great time in Manchester too, I won two titles and I’m very grateful. But when I say that I’ve found myself here, I’m happy, the people are like us in Brazil. The sun helps a lot. I’m very happy here. I wake up every day with a smile and that’s very important.”
🗣️ “When you are happy, everything comes naturally,” Antony said. “My head, my heart, told me that I was going to be happy here.”
🗣️ “Pellegrini is very important to me,” he said. “Before signing with Betis, I spoke to him, and he gave me a lot of confidence. His experience and history give me energy every day to do well.
“When I made the decision to come here, it was to find myself again, as I mentioned before. There is always pressure, but the greatest pressure I felt was when I was living in the poor neighbourhoods of Brazil, thinking about my family and everything.”
Antony celebrating in a Real Betis kit
Antony is ‘so, so happy’ at Real Betis, says his agent
His long-term future
As things stand, Antony will return to United at the end of the 2024/25 season as his loan deal at Betis does not include an option or obligation to buy.
“I believe that football is very dynamic,” his agent said. “There are no long-term plans to be made. There may still be a few more chapters in his story with Manchester United, or there may not be.
“This will depend on many factors involving decisions by the club and him in the near future.”
But it would be surprising if United brought him back into the fold for the 2025/26 season as they are in the market for more forwards in the summer.
He made just two starts and seven substitute appearances under Ruben Amorim, who believes that the Brazil international is not cut out for the demands of English football.
“When you play against any team in England, the physicality is there,” Amorim said. “If you don’t have physicality, you will struggle a lot. Antony is so much better now in Spain. It’s [because of] a lot of factors but I guarantee you it’s physicality.”
According to reports in Spain, Betis want to take Antony on loan for another season and are willing to cover a greater portion of his salary.
“I think so,” Real Betis chief executive Ramon Alarcon said when asked if Antony could stay at the club. “The other day the CEO of United called me.
“We sent them all the moves and details of the player throughout the week so that they can see that we are looking after their asset. There is very good chemistry with Manchester [United] and with the player.
“It is a possibility that he will continue next season, why not?”
But United might be unwilling to sanction another loan move as they intend to sell the Brazil international in a permanent deal to raise funds.
In order not to make a loss on the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, United would need to sell Antony for £32.52million (€38.6m / $42m) this summer.
Real Betis may be able to sign him on a permanent deal if they qualify for the Champions League but their current transfer record stands at €30million (£25m / $31.4m).
Antony had offers from Premier League and Saudi Pro League sides in the January transfer window and his recent form has reportedly attracted interest from Real Sociedad and Juventus.
He appears to have found a new lease of life away from Old Trafford and a permanent move in the summer will suit both parties.
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