Brazilian winger Antony has offered his most candid assessment yet of his troubled spell at Manchester United, conceding that personal problems away from football were a significant factor in his failure to justify a €95 million (£82m/$111m) transfer fee from Ajax.
Speaking in an interview with Globoesporte, Antony acknowledged the toll his private life took on his performances in the Premier League. “Off-field issues have a big influence,” he said. “I had some problems outside the pitch that hindered me. It was a complicated time, but it served as a learning experience and helped me mature.”
Despite the turbulence of his time at Old Trafford, the winger expressed no bitterness towards the club. “I don’t regret going to Manchester United; I’m grateful to the club. I learnt a lot there, and being happy today at Betis is due to those difficult moments I experienced in England,” Antony said.
Antony joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 under then-manager Erik ten Hag, who had worked with him previously at Ajax. The transfer made him one of the most expensive signings in Premier League history at the time, but his United career never gained momentum. He managed only 13 goals in 79 appearances across all competitions before departing for Real Betis in Spain, where he has since rediscovered both form and confidence.
Beyond reflecting on his own struggles, Antony also shared a revealing anecdote involving Cristiano Ronaldo, with whom he overlapped briefly at Old Trafford during the 2022-23 season before Ronaldo’s contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2022. The Portuguese forward’s professionalism and physical condition at close to 40 years old left a lasting impression on the Brazilian. “Cristiano Ronaldo is a great person; you learn a lot from him,” Antony said. “He even joked with me once, saying that people think he’s stubborn, but in everyday life he’s very playful.”
Antony recalled a specific moment in the club’s sauna facilities that underscored just how seriously Ronaldo takes care of his body. “Once in the sauna, he joked with me. He showed me his physique and asked if I looked 23 years old. I was even embarrassed because you see the level of care he takes even at almost 40. He’s a role model for everyone.”
Ronaldo, now 40 and playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has long been regarded as one of football’s most dedicated athletes in terms of physical conditioning. His training habits and dietary discipline have been widely documented and referenced by numerous former teammates over the years.
For Antony, the rehabilitation of his career at Real Betis marks a significant turnaround. The Seville-based club, competing in La Liga, provided the Brazilian with the opportunity to regain confidence following a largely disappointing stint in English football. His openness about the personal difficulties that contributed to his underwhelming United tenure adds further context to what was widely viewed as one of the more costly transfer misses of the post-pandemic era at Old Trafford.
Manchester United themselves have undergone significant structural change in recent years, with INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking a controlling stake in the club in early 2024 and implementing a broad footballing overhaul. The club’s recruitment strategy during the preceding years, including the Antony deal, has faced scrutiny as part of that wider review.
