Man United’s Antony opens up on growing up in ‘flooded’ favelas in inspirational interview | OneFootball

Manchester United new-boy Antony announced himself with bang on his Old Trafford debut in the Premier League.

The £86 million signing netted a superb strike against Arsenal to get his time in the famous red shirt off to the perfect start.

United finally got their man after a protracted transfer saga, coughing up a record sum to finally prize him away from Dutch champions Ajax.

Antony’s perfect start at Manchester United

He then hit the ground running with his Arsenal strike, sending an expectant Old Trafford into rapture as he slid the ball past Aaron Ramsdale in the Gunners’ goal.

It was an incredible moment for the 22-year-old who shook off the pressure of his titanic price tag like it was nothing at all.

Now, the Brazilian has opened up in a fascinating interview that shows what an inspirational journey it has been for him to reach the top of the game.

Antony opens up on life growing up in the favelas

Speaking to Sky Sports, Antony spoke of how difficult life was growing up in one of Brazil’s infamous favelas.

“I was just a humble little boy from a favela,” he said. “I didn’t have boots to play football. I didn’t have a bedroom, I slept on the sofa.

“I lived in the very middle of the favela. Twenty yards from my house there were drug dealers. Sometimes you would be watching a game on a Sunday and there would be that smell, a smell of cannabis coming into the house.

“There were moments, my brother, my sister and I would cry and hug each other thinking about our lives.

“There were times in the middle of the night, we were bailing water out of our flooded house, but we’d still do it with a smile on our faces.”

Having made a promise to his parents that he would change their lives, Antony came good at Ajax, catching the eye of the European heavyweights with his swashbuckling brand of skill and style.

Antony joins a long line of stars to have overcome an immense amount of hardship to find their way to the lucrative European leagues.

At just 22, the world really is his oyster – who knows the heights the Brazilian youngster could reach if he continues on his current trajectory.