Conference League hero
©TM/IMAGO
At full time Antony looked around the stadium, hugged his team mates and then fell to the ground in tears. However, unlike in recent seasons at Manchester United where such a sight would have been accompanied by yet another defeat in the Premier League or elimination from a cup competition, this was instead a green and white jubilee. Real Betis had just beeaten Fiorentina to reach their first ever European final and rather than being the butt of every joke, Antony was in fact the hero of the moment.
Indeed, the Brazilian winger showed his worth in the 30th minute of the match, when Betis had a free-kick 35 yards out from goal. With a ferocious swing of his left foot, the winger curled the ball round the opposing wall and watched it hit off the far post and into the back of the net. Although the Italian hosts would fight back and score two goals on the night, Antony’s solitary goal proved to be enough to help Betis overcome their opponents and reach the final of the Conference League, where they will face Chelsea.
Antony: Man United and Real Betis form compared
While English football fans may have been shocked to see Antony perform in such a manner, his heroics would have come as no great surprise to Betis fans. Since making the move to Spain in a loan deal in the January transfer window, Antony has looked like a player reborn and quickly began to ressemble the fantastic winger that he once was at Ajax. And in many ways, the impact that he has made in LaLiga has come to sum up why Man Utd spend such a remarkable amount of money to sign him in the first place.
The Brazilian has settled in brilliantly in Seville and his attacking output is in stark contrast to his struggles at Man United. Antony has provided 0.65 goal contributions per 90 minutes at Betis compared to 0.22 at United this season. The eight goals that Antony has scored in green and white far surpassed his record across the first half of this season and the previous season combined for United. Despite showing promise in his maiden season at Old Trafford, Antony endured a dreadful 2022/23 campaign with just five goal contributions in all competitions. The right-winger struggled with the pace and intensity of the Premier League but his skill set is more suited to LaLiga after flourishing in the Eredivisie – Antony provided 44 goal contributions across two seasons at Ajax.
Antony’s stunning impact at Real Betis
Real Betis are paying around 83% of Antony’s wage on a straight loan deal and it’s understood there’s no purchase order included. United will be hoping the Brazilian’s performances will increase his value – currently at €20m on Transfermarkt – ahead of a permanent sale in the summer. While it’s unlikely that Man Utd will be able to recoup most of what they spent on signing the player three years ago, his impressive form at Betis does suggest that he can peform in Europe’s top five leagues. It’s perhaps just a case of Antony being far better suited to the Spanish style of football, as opposed to the English one. As we can see in the graphic above, his goal contritbutions for this season now stands at 14 in all competitions, which is just one short of his best ever return at Man Utd. And while it’s unlikely that he’ll surpass the 22 he bagged in his final season at Ajax, a few goals and assists in the Conference League Final may be worth far more to the player and his adopted club.
