The rebirth of Antony, a footballer who grew up among drug traffickers

BarcelonaAntony Matheus dos Santos (Antony) is experiencing a period of footballing "resurrection" at the Benito Villamarín and will face Hansi Flick's Barça this Saturday (9 p.m., Movistar LaLiga). The Brazilian began his playing career at São Paulo FC, the club from his hometown. There, during his childhood, he forged a strong personality while facing the city's most renowned drug dealers. "I played against drug dealers, with all of them," the Betis forward revealed in an interview on DAZN prior to last year's Andalusian derby.

During the run-up to La Liga, the Betis forward has been the target of jokes on social media for his poor performances at Manchester United. His multiple turns, appearing to be dribbling, generated ridicule among fans. Despite these satirical comments, Antony has remained steadfast: "If you ask me if I was afraid, of course I was. But I've always had a very strong personality. The more difficult things were, the more I wanted to be there. When I go through a difficult situation, I remember what I went through in the favela. That was really difficult when I lived there."

Antony's past is conditioned by a general lack of resources. "When people ask me about the pressure I felt in the favela, when I didn't have boots to play. Sometimes I would leave for school in the morning and not eat anything. I always look back when I go through difficult times. Now I'm representing all those who stayed in the favela." The São Paulo forward's humility has also been reflected in fans and teammates, who are ensuring the continuity of the new idol in Andalusia. "We must do this kind of crowdfunding to keep Antony here for at least one more year," Isco told DAZN after the Andalusian derby, which was decided in favor of Betis with a great performance from the Brazilian.

Despite having suffered a childhood immersed in poverty, his individual performances in Brazil caused a European giant to take notice of the young talent. Thus, in the summer of 2020, he signed for Ajax, where he excelled and provided 46 assists in 82 matches. After two seasons in Amsterdam and a reported fee of €35 million, Manchester United spent €100 million to secure Antony's services.

The amount paid by the team Red Devil It didn't take long for Antony to fall under his own weight. The Brazilian's poor attacking record (17 goal contributions in 96 matches) forced him to embark on a loan move to recover his footballing magic. Now integrated into the Betis dynamic, he has provided the Verdiblanca offense with quality in the closing stages with impressive passes and prodigious dribbling. "Now he's proving to be more practical than trying to do strange things with the ball," confessed Pellegrini (Betis coach) about the São Paulo native's improved performance at Betis.

Antony's "resurrection"

The former United player has eight goals in twelve matches for Betis. "I found myself here," declared the Brazilian after waving the Betis flag at the end of the derby against Sevilla. Antony, like former captain Joaquín, felt like a true supporter of the Betis sentiment. The winger has once again shone as a footballer thanks to the affection of the fans. "I identify a lot with the fans because they have a lot of emotion. I'm Brazilian, and that's who I am," he told the media after a Betis training session.

Antony's next match is a visit to Barcelona at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. "It's not impossible to beat Barça." The Betis striker is confident of beating Flick's youngsters, after the Verdiblancos beat Madrid (2-1). Pellegrini's team has suffered only two defeats since the Brazilian's arrival, has six consecutive victories in La Liga, and is confident in the technical quality of the São Paulo striker to lead Betis to victory. Barça's left flank will need to be on the defensive front to stop the São Paulo dribbler.