Antony has shone brightly since his move to Real Betis on loan from Manchester United, a bitter contrast to his torrid time so far at Old Trafford.
The Brazilian was purchased by Erik ten Hag back in 2022 for a whopping £86m, and it’s safe to say he hasn’t quite lived up to the price tag in a red shirt.
Antony struggled to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League, which reflected in his mediocre stats for Manchester United. He’s scored just 12 goals in 96 games.
Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
But it was a completely different story in Spain. Antony has lit up La Liga, and Betis are desperate to keep hold of him. Amid the uncertainty, the winger has sent an ‘open letter’ to his new adoring fans.
Antony thanks Real Betis supporters
Antony took to Instagram to send an ‘open letter’ to Betis fans, thanking them for their support this season.
He wrote: ‘Many thanks for this magical season. My people. My world. Too much Betis. Always!’
The Manchester United loanee also accompanied the caption with a video. This roughly translated to the following.
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Antony said: “Today is the day to thank one of the most beautiful chapters of my life.
“From the first step into this club, I felt something different. It was like coming home, like finding a piece of myself that I thought I had lost.
“With you, I started to smile again. Thank you for welcoming me as one of your own. Thank you for giving me back the joy of playing football. And thank you for reminding me why I fell in love with the game. My home, my people, thank you so much.”
Antony lost the Europa Conference League final but did make history at Betis. He’ll be forever in the hearts of their fans.
Antony could still move to Betis, but right now, his future is rather uncertain. United could cash in, with his favourable loan spell certainly adding a few digits to his price tag.
Tottenham striker Richarlison responds to Antony
A man that foiled Manchester United in the Europa League final in Richarlison was among the comments in Antony’s post. He responded to his fellow countryman with a clapping emoji.
Richarlison comment on an Instagram post.
The comments were also flooded with Betis supporters begging Antony to stay, but they may not be granted this wish.
Antony’s price tag may be too high for Betis and despite pleas of ‘crowdfunding’ – it may be too difficult of a deal to traverse.
All will be revealed about Antony’s future in the coming months at Old Trafford.