Recalling his difficult days at Manchester United, Brazilian winger Antony broke down in tears during an interview.
Now thriving at Real Betis, Antony seems to have rediscovered his spark after a tough spell at Old Trafford. The Brazilian opened up about how challenging life was both on and off the pitch in Manchester — to the point where he completely lost the desire to play football.
Back in August 2022, Antony made headlines with a blockbuster €100 million transfer from Ajax to Manchester United. But the move didn’t go as planned. Despite a few flashes of brilliance, consistency was lacking. Former manager Erik ten Hag gradually lost faith in him, and things worsened under new coach Rúben Amorim, with rumors of a strained relationship between the two.
Eventually, Antony made a loan move to Betis during the January transfer window. He hit the ground running — earning man of the match in his debut and scoring in the next game. Since then, he’s been steadily building momentum.
So far, Antony has netted nine goals and provided five assists in 25 appearances for the Spanish side.
Ahead of Betis’ UEFA Conference League final against Chelsea on Wednesday, Antony gave an emotional interview to TNT Sports Brazil. While reflecting on his Manchester United struggles, he broke down in tears.
“At Betis, everything has changed because after everything I went through, I needed to find myself again. Like I said, I was trying to make things happen (in Manchester), but nothing was working because I wasn’t happy.”
“I didn’t feel like playing football anymore. I needed to find myself and be happy again, because I’ve always loved football. My time at United was very tough, and I couldn’t find any joy. I told my brother I couldn’t take it anymore. He told me to hang in there, that things would change. I’m getting emotional because those days were really hard for me,” Antony said while crying.
He also revealed how those dark times affected his mental health.
“I just wanted to stay indoors. I didn’t even have the energy to play with my son. I used to go without eating and would lock myself in my room. It was a very tough time, but thank God, I’m happy now.”
Thanks to his strong performances at Betis, Antony has also made his way back into the Brazil national team. On Monday, new head coach Carlo Ancelotti included him in the squad for Brazil’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
