Standing between Chelsea and the UEFA Conference League trophy is Real Betis Balompie winger Antony, and that means significantly more than it did five months ago.
The Brazilian winger, 25, escaped his Manchester United nightmare in January as he joined the Spanish La Liga side on loan, looking to rebuild a career that had stalled miserably at Old Trafford.
Antony became the Red Devils’ second most expensive player ever when he joined from Ajax in 2022 for ￡81.3 million (US$110 million), but flopped badly under his former coach Erik ten Hag.
Photo: Reuters
The pressure at United grew to be too much for the winger, whose best form was out of reach.
“Only I know what it was like to be there at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room,” Antony told TNT Sports Brazil ahead of the final.
“I told [my brother] that I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said.
Antony has explained he emerged from a Brazilian favela, playing without boots and against drug dealers, developing a hard shell, so to suffer so much in Manchester is particularly striking.
Once exciting youngster Amad Diallo emerged, Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim was happy for the forward to depart, with Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis happy to take the gamble.
The fit could not have been better for the player and club, as they helped each other get back to their best.
With three goals and an assist in his first four games for Betis across all competitions, Antony was rapidly smiling again in the Andalusian sun before adoring fans.
“It’s very easy to play with him, he has incredible talent, he makes good decisions,” Isco said of his teammate in February.
“I hope we can take that step forward to get into Europe,” Isco said.
With the Spanish playmaker, called into Spain’s UEFA Nations League squad for the first time in six years, clicking with the Brazilian, Betis did just that.
They booked a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League and might have gone one better if not fighting on two fronts.
While the Conference League does not mean a great deal to two-time UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea, for Betis it would represent a significant accomplishment.
Despite being only one of nine clubs to win La Liga, they have never brought home a European trophy.
Betis lifted the Copa del Rey in 2022, but have won nothing else in the last two decades.
Even the club’s motto reflects their lack of success — “long live Betis, even when they lose” — forged with the club in the third tier in the 1950s.
“I had offers, but when Betis appeared, I felt a certainty in my heart,” Antony said, with Pellegrini helping refill his exhausted morale.
“He gave me so much confidence,” Antony said.
The veteran coach also helped Antony work on his end product, whereas in England he was often mocked for his penchant for tricks.
In return, Antony brought goals, assists and a touch of elite quality that clubs like Betis cannot usually access.
“It’s not just by chance that Manchester United paid [that much] for him,” Pellegrini said.
Antony struck in both legs of the 4-3 semi-final win over ACF Fiorentina to take Betis to the final in Wroclaw, Poland, and has nine goals and five assists in 25 appearances for the club.
“We went through very difficult times to be enjoying this moment today,” said the forward, explaining his tears following the triumph over La Viola.
While Manchester United fell short in the Europa League final and miss out on next season’s Champions League, Antony’s revival could see him crowned a European champion and earn a big summer move.
Of course, Betis would dearly love to keep him at the Benito Villamarin, although the price would be an issue — but Isco has been brainstorming, even suggesting “kidnap” to keep the attacker.
“We need to crowd-fund so he can stay at least another year,” joked the midfielder, still scheming, after Antony shone against city rivals Sevilla, one of many outstanding performances in a green-and-white shirt.
Real Betis fans badly hope Antony has at least one more to come.
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