Antony Bids Emotional Goodbye in Social Media Post | OneFootball

Antony has said his goodbyes to Real Betis as he prepares to return to Manchester United, thanking the Spanish club for providing “one of the most beautiful chapters of my life”.

The Brazilian winger, despite a strong start to life in England upon completing a transfer from Ajax in the summer of 2022, struggled to make a lasting impression with Manchester United and eventually found himself out of favour with both Erik ten Hag and successor Ruben Amorim.

But a January loan to Real Betis, with whom he contested last week’s Conference League final against Chelsea, proved to Antony and the football world that he still has plenty to offer.

He managed seven goal involvements in 17 La Liga appearances to help Betis, 12th when he arrived, finish sixth and qualify for Europe again. En-route to the Conference League final it was another seven goal involvements in nine appearances.

A permanent transfer to Betis, or anywhere else, has not yet been arranged, meaning Antony has bid farewell to Los Verdiblancos while his next step is being considered—it is not thought that he will be reintegrated back at Old Trafford, having opened up his struggles, and a sale will be the path chosen.

Antony had been exceptional for Real Betis. / IMAGO/ANP

“Today is the day to thank one of the most beautiful chapters of my life,” Anthony said, addressing Real Betis in a post on Instagram.

“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.”

As a wide forward, Antony is not naturally suited for Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 tactical setup at Manchester United, which priorities and is built around use of wing-backs and number 10s.

But even after struggling at United under Ten Hag, despite their past success together at Ajax, Antony is already reportedly the subject of interest for the Dutchman in his new job at Bayer Leverkusen—alongside Alejandro Garnacho.