Antony put an end to his Manchester United nightmare this summer by moving to Real Betis on transfer deadline day.
The Brazilian forward had previously dropped down the pecking order at Old Trafford following Ruben Amorim’s arrival in November 2024.
Antony spent the second half of last season on loan at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and was very impressive as well. It wasn’t enough to convince Amorim, however, who brought in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha to improve his attack this summer.
Antony eventually ended up returning to the Andalusian side on a permanent deal. The player has since revealed that he was wanted by five different clubs, including Bayern Munich.
It now appears that Cristiano Ronaldo was also keen for the 25 year old to join him in the Middle East.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given his approval to Antony’s arrival
Cristiano Ronaldo was part of United’s roster when Antony arrived from Ajax in the summer of 2022. The two of them shared the pitch on seven occasions for the English giants, before the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left in December 2022 to join Al-Nassr.
The Riyadh-based club were focused on attacking reinforcements this summer and it now appears that the Brazilian was on their agenda as well.
Speaking to Radio MARCA, journalist Marcos Bernat said that Ronaldo had even given his green signal for the union in Saudi Arabia.
“There were negotiations with Al-Nassr, the player heard about the interest, and Cristiano’s entourage even took it for granted. At that point, Cristiano was in favour of the move, and they let the player know,” said Bernat.
The Saudi Pro League club eventually turned their attention to Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, and Real Betis went on to strike a deal for Antony.
United have a 50% sell-on option on Antony
While United have cut their losses by allowing Antony to leave for around £19m this summer, they do have a 50% sell-on clause in the deal.
The Brazilian was a shadow of his former self at Old Trafford, and never lived up to his £82m price tag.
The former Ajax man managed just 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances for the English giants. Meanwhile, he netted nine goals and set up five more from 26 games while on loan at Real Betis last season – a stark contrast.
Featured image Gabriele Maltinti via Getty Images
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
