The enigmatic Brazilian winger has made the perfect start to his loan spell in Spain, and the reigning La Liga champions could be his next victims
Let’s rewind to January 16, when Manchester United welcomed bottom-of-the-table Southampton to Old Trafford aiming to snap a three-game losing streak on home soil. The Red Devils went in at the break 1-0 down courtesy of an own-goal from Manuel Ugarte, and in a bid to turn the tide, head coach Ruben Amorim brought on Antony for Kobbie Mainoo at the start of the second half.
On the hour mark, Antony was presented with a glorious chance to level proceedings. Alejandro Garnacho burst into the box before firing a low cross to Antony at the back post, and it seemed like a certainty that he would turn the ball into an empty net from barely a yard out. Yet somehow, the Brazilian completely miscued a sliding shot on his weaker right side, and it slowly trickled into the arms of relieved Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
“That’s the miss of the season. I can’t believe that. Why has he gone to ground?” former Rangers and Scotland striker Ally McCoist questioned while commentating on the game for TNT Sports. It did not come as a surprise to any of the United fans in the crowd that night, though.
Antony had become a figure of ridicule at Old Trafford long before that moment, having only managed five goals in his previous 60 Premier League appearances, a truly abysmal return from a player who the club paid Ajax £85 million ($108m) for back in August 2023. It did appear to be the final straw, though, as United sanctioned a loan exit for Antony 10 days later after receiving an attractive offer from Real Betis.
That deal effectively cemented Antony’s status as one of the biggest flops in United’s history – but no one is laughing at him anymore. He has spectacularly silenced his critics in his first month at Betis, and heading into a blockbuster clash against Real Madrid on Saturday, he finds his name up in lights alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr…