Real Madrid, beware! How Man Utd flop Antony has spectacularly silenced critics at Real Betis after shaking off weight of £85m price tag

According to BBC Sport, Betis agreed to cover 84 percent of Antony's salary during his six-month stay at Estadio Benito Villamarin, which amounts to over £100,000 per week. That was a significant investment for the mid-table La Liga club, but one they firmly believed would pay off, as sporting director Manu Fajardo told Marca: "Antony’s arrival is exciting. From the sporting management and the coaching staff, we understood that we had to improve the second line of attack."

United, meanwhile, were hoping that Antony could perform well enough to bump up his market value again ahead of a permanent summer transfer, with The Athletic reporting their ideal sale figure to be around the £34m ($43m) mark. They would have been delighted, then, to see Antony make an instant impact on his debut for Betis.

Antony went straight into Manuel Pellegrini's line up for a home fixture against Athletic Club, and he created the opening goal in the 15th minute, forcing Athletic goalkeeper Adrian into a full-stretch save that fell kindly for Isco to turn home. Betis were eventually held to a 2-2 draw, but that was by no means a bad result against a team fighting for Champions League qualification, and Antony picked up the Player of the Match award.

It was a just reward for the Brazilian's dynamic display, as he constantly ran at his marker and showed great composure in the final third. Antony rarely did either of those things at United, and there was another notable change: the big smile etched across his face.

Antony needed only 11 minutes to leave a mark in his second game for Betis against Celta Vigo, steering the ball into the far corner of the net for his first league goal of the entire 2024-25 campaign. Diego Llorente then doubled Betis' lead, but a shocking second-half capitulation led to Celta sealing a 3-2 comeback victory.

A second successive Player of the Match award came as little consolation to Antony, who vented his frustration in a post-match interview with DAZN. "We have to change our mentality. We scored two but we have to be focused for the whole game, the 90 minutes," he said. "We have to work to be better. Betis must start and finish well. We have to work harder, and look at what we are not doing well to win the three points."

Where was that kind of honesty and leadership when Antony was at United?! The former Ajax star seemed to shrink under the pressure of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs, but has looked like a man liberated from fear right from the off in Seville.

Indeed, two games was all it took for Betis to start pondering an extended stay for Antony. When quizzed on the prospect of signing him outright in the summer, Betis CEO Ramon Alcaron told Cadena SER: "I think so. There is very good chemistry with Manchester [United] and with the player. It is a possibility that he will continue next season, why not?"

Five days after the loss at Celta, Antony backed up his strong words to his team-mates by scoring Betis' first goal in a 3-0 Conference League win over Gent, producing a stunning curled shot from outside the box after smartly turning away from two defenders. It was the same type of run and finish he executed regularly at Ajax, but never had the confidence to even attempt at United.

When Betis returned to La Liga action against Real Sociedad on February 16, all eyes were on Antony again, and he didn't disappoint. Pellegrini's side romped to another 3-0 victory, with a stunning volleyed goal from Antony setting them on their way, and the Brazilian walked away with the MVP award for the third league game in a row.

Antony's latest stellar display coincided with his parent club falling to 15th in the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham, and there was even talk of United recalling the winger to give Amorim a much-needed extra-option in attack. That unprecedented move never came to fruition, but the mere suggestion was a testament to how much of a transformative signing Antony has been for Betis, who are now right back in the mix for a top-six finish.

In a sit-down with Spanish publication Diario AS, Antony attempted to the explain the reasons behind his resurgence in a Betis shirt. "The most important thing is that I have found myself again. I am happy to be enjoying myself every day," he began. "Things go well when we are well, happy, content… In four games, I scored three goals and gave an assist. I expected it and I didn't expect it. I have worked mentally and physically to get to this moment. I'm very happy."

Why didn't he feel that way at United? Antony described his initial transfer to Old Trafford as a "dream come true", but seemed to be carrying a weight around his shoulders whenever he took to the pitch. The huge price tag must have had something to do with it. According to The Athletic, club scouts valued Antony at just £25m when his name first came up, but the number kept rising as United became more desperate in negotiations with Ajax.

As an £85m player, Antony was left facing an uphill battle to live up to unrealistic expectations. He eventually fell out of favour with ex-Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, and couldn't win his place back after Amorim replaced the Dutchman. Incredibly, though, Antony doesn't consider his time at Old Trafford to be failure.

The Sao Paulo academy graduate doesn't hold any grudges against Amorim, either, as he added: "I was playing a little, but I was working hard every day. I needed to be happy with myself. The best version of being happy with myself now, of starting well, is very important to me. I am very grateful for everything, for the coach [Ruben Amorim] too, who spoke to me. I have also done very well in Manchester; I won two titles [the FA Cup and Carabao Cup], and I am very grateful. But when I say that here, I have found myself, happiness, the people are like us in Brazil. The sun helps a lot. Every day I wake up with a smile and that is very important."

Antony's resurgence continued last weekend against Getafe as Betis scrapped to a hard-fought 2-1 win at the Coliseum. The United loanee set-up the first of Isco's two goals, combining explosive speed and outstanding close control to carry the ball from his own half deep into opposition territory before cutting inside and picking out a lovely pass for his Spanish colleague, who took it in his stride before firing past helpless Getafe 'keeper David Soria.

It was, quite simply, a world-class piece of attacking play. Unfortunately, though, Antony would end up making the headlines for the wrong reasons. In the fourth-minute of stoppage time, he was shown a straight red card for a needless lunge on Juan Iglesias, instantly ruling him out of Betis' home game against Real Madrid.

However, replays showed it was a harsh decision, and Betis subsequently launched an appeal against the one-match ban. The RFEF's disciplinary committee ruled in their favour, concluding Antony "had at no time stopped looking at the ball" and that he had "no intention to make contact with the Getafe player".

According to AS, the verdict has not gone down well with Madrid, who see at as more proof of a widespread "eagerness to go hunting against Madrid". It merely sounds like, however, that the reigning La Liga and European champions are scared of facing Antony. Los Blancos can't afford any slip-ups at Estadio Benito Villamarin amid their tense title battle with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but much could depend on whether they can be the first team to keep Antony quiet since his arrival at Betis.

Antony has also endeared himself to the Betis faithful with his behaviour off the pitch. He even went viral for one heart-warming interaction with a disabled fan who attempted to kiss him, planting one on her forehead instead before opening a new line of conversation.

Betis have also shared regular training clips on their social channels showing Antony in great spirits. The Brazil star is clearly already a very popular member of the dressing room, as evidenced by the wholesome reaction to his red card against Getafe being rescinded.

Pellegrini embraced Antony after informing him of the good news, and several players followed suit at the end of a midweek session. It's amazing what a change of environment can do, though by all accounts it seems that Antony's ex-United team-mates are also pleased to see him succeeding in La Liga.

Bruno Fernandes, Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, Anthony Martial, Andre Onana and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all 'liked' the highlight reel he posted on Instagram after his Betis debut, and he's also received glowing praise from former United first-team coach Benni McCarthy.

"Antony has nice ways about him – he trains well, he'll really listen to his coaches because he's willing to learn," McCarthy told ESPN.

Who would ever have predicted that Antony would be in this position so soon after escaping his hellish reality at Old Trafford? It's been remarkable turnaround in fortunes, but there are still a few sceptics out there unwilling to give him too much credit.

Among them is former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison, who recently told Freebets.com: "A player like Antony, he came in – nowhere near good enough. I know he's gone to Real Betis and doing ever so well in Real Betis. So, that just goes to show me the Premier League is the best league in world football. It's the hardest one to adjust to."

It's certainly fair to say that La Liga is not as fast-paced or physically taxing as the Premier League, but it's not like Antony has taken a massive step down. The Spanish top flight is more than a match for their English counterparts in terms of collective quality, and Antony is standing alongside the very best at this moment in time.

Whether he can sustain it remains to be seen; after all, Antony also made a strong first impression at United by scoring in his first three Premier League games, only to completely go off the boil thereafter. But Betis legend Gabino Rodriguez believes the biggest difference for Antony between then and now is the guiding hand of former Manchester City boss Pellegrini.

"Technically he is a very gifted player. He’s landed on his feet at Betis. I can see hunger in him and the fans are very happy," Rodriguez toldThe Sun. "Personally I have no doubts that Antony will adapt really well to Pellegrini’s system because the manager likes to play attacking football. Betis continuously go down the wings and Antony is the type of player who suits this coach well. Under another one he would struggle in all aspects, and that’s what happened at United. For me, Antony’s problem wasn’t him, but a coaching one."

If Antony does mastermind Madrid's downfall this weekend, that assessment will be impossible to disagree with.