Antony-mania stepped up a notch for Real Betis on Thursday night after he scored a sensational free-kick against Fiorentina.
The Manchester United winger, on loan in Seville, has been the LaLiga side’s best player since joining.
And he further enhanced his reputation on a huge night for the club, at the same time as United conceded against Athletic Bilbao to rattle the nerves despite their commanding lead in the tie.
Antony stepped up to take a free-kick from about 35 yards, curling in with his left foot, with the ball crashing off the post and in.
He sprinted towards the sideline in celebration, sild on his knees and was embraced by the substitutes.
Again, he pulled down his shirt to expose the ‘Iluminado’ tattoo, which translates to ‘The Chosen One’ in English.
Antony pulled down his shirt to expose the ‘Iluminado’ tattoo after scoring the free-kick
The Man United loanee continues to thrive on loan with the Spanish side
Antony was signed by United for £86million before going on to register just 12 goals and five assists in 96 matches for the club.
He continues to go from strength to strength away from Old Trafford and has said he believes personal issues stopped him playing his best.
In 2023, Antony was accused by his former partner Gabriela Cavallin of offending, assaulting and threatening her, leading to the Sao Paulo police department conducting an investigation.
A year after the complaint was made, the police found insufficient evidence of any wrongdoing on Antony’s part and concluded their investigation, as reported by Globo.com.
‘I think that, apart from my football life, my personal life got in the way a lot, because of the things I went through, the moments I lived there,’ he told ESPN Brasil.
‘Like it or not, it’s affected me a lot. So, of course, I know the potential I have.
‘It’s not for nothing that I went to a World Cup, it’s not for nothing that I was sold to United for a lot of money, and I know my worth.
‘People look at the moment, but they don’t look at the bigger picture, what happens to bring things about.
‘So, as I said, my feeling at United was that I had good moments, bad moments too, but of course I could have done more, I could have done better.’
His heroics against Fiorentina come after a stunning stoppage time winner at the weekend and he looks a player transformed.
‘The future? It’s very early; I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m very happy here,’ he said recently.
‘I’ve found myself enjoying football. It’s crazy right now, although I know how talented I am, so I prioritised going where I knew I’d be happy, even though I had better offers.’
Betis have four La Liga fixtures to go before the season ends, sitting one point outside of the top-five Champions League qualification spaces in La Liga as things stand.
