Total Football Era Begins

Lore & Background

Antony graduated from the São Paulo academy and made his senior debut for the club in 2018. He moved abroad to Ajax in the summer of 2020, where he won two Eredivisie titles and one KNVB Cup during his two seasons. Antony's performances in the Netherlands led to a transfer worth €95 million (£82 million) to Premier League side Manchester United, the highest sum paid for an Eredivisie player. He fell out of favour at Manchester United after manager Erik ten Hag, who had managed Antony at Ajax, was replaced by Ruben Amorim in November 2024. He was loaned to Real Betis in January 2025 for the remainder of the 2024–25 season, before joining the club permanently that summer.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicked the De Meer pitch, turning the grass into a dark mirror for the floodlights as Cruyff received the ball near the halfway line. Instead of charging forward, he drifted left, dragging the entire opposing defense like iron filings to a magnet. The crowd held its breath. Suddenly, the Ajax midfielder dropped deep to collect the pass while the full-back surged into the vacated center channel. In that split second, the rigid lines of 1960s football dissolved. There were no positions anymore—only space and the ball. A single, razor-sharp pass sliced through the chaos, finding a runner who had materialized from nowhere. Before the defenders could register their confusion, the net rippled.

Reader's Guide

Antony won a gold medal with the Brazil under-23 team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He then made his senior international debut and scored against Venezuela in October 2021, going on to represent Brazil at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Did You Know?

• Antony was born in Osasco, São Paulo, and grew up in Inferninho, a favela far from the city centre.
• He helped São Paulo win the J-League Challenge tournament in Japan in September 2018 and was named the tournament's best player.
• Antony scored on his debut for Manchester United in a 3–1 home league victory over Arsenal on 4 September 2022.
• He was sent off on 23 February 2025 in a league match against Getafe, but the red card was overturned three days later by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.