Antony, in tears, recounts difficult farewell to Manchester United and arrives at Betis

Antony Bids Farewell with Emotion to Manchester United and Signs for Real Betis

The visibly emotional footballer Antony broke down in tears as he described the end of his time at Manchester United, while awaiting the completion of his transfer to Real Betis. After the agreement briefly stalled on Friday, a deal was reached between the clubs just before the transfer market closed on Monday. Sources indicate that Betis will pay a fixed fee of 22 million euros ($25.6 million), plus an additional 3 million euros ($3.5 million) in potential bonuses. United will also receive 50% of any future transfer. After spending the second half of last season on loan at Betis, Antony returned to Manchester United, but was excluded from Ruben Amorim’s squad for the pre-season tour of the United States and had been training separately at the club’s Carrington facilities.

• Confirmation of Antony’s permanent agreement with Betis
• Analysis of the worst transfers of the summer market
• Evaluation of the signings of the summer market

“Only my family knows how difficult it was to be there,” Antony said through tears during his presentation as a permanent signing at the LaLiga club on Tuesday. “Training separately. But I knew this incredible moment would come. Of course, I was afraid it wouldn’t happen in the end, but I waited because I had a lot of faith.”

His performance at Betis, where he scored nine goals in 26 matches and helped the club reach the final of last season’s UEFA Conference League, convinced the club to formalize his transfer. Antony still had two years remaining on the five-year contract he signed when he arrived from Ajax in 2022, but United avoided having to make an additional payment to the Brazilian forward.

“Making the transfer happen was very difficult, but we are here now. I can’t wait to wear the Betis shirt again. I can only thank everyone who made it possible,” Antony expressed.

“What a difference! Seville is more beautiful than Manchester,” he added. “I’m finally here. I spent more than 40 days in a hotel; it was very difficult, but everyone knew I wanted to return to Betis. Now with more time, there are so many things to do and achieve. I had trouble sleeping after seeing so much affection from the Betis fans; there were people waiting at my house at 2 in the morning.” The 25-year-old player left Old Trafford after playing 96 matches in three years, scoring 12 goals, without justifying his high price. Antony remains United’s second most expensive signing, behind Paul Pogba, after his transfer of 95 million euros ($110.5 million) from Ajax.

“That they care about me is very important, it’s something that money can’t buy,” Antony stated. “Here I’ve had good feelings and I’ve felt a lot of affection. It was always my first option, and that’s why I waited until the last day to return to Betis. Now I’m here and happy in a city and a club that I love”.