From Manchester United s abandoned son to Betis savior: Redemption and rebirth of Anthony s football career

Very few winter rentals can be as dramatic as Anthony joins Real Betis. When the 25-year-old Brazilian pierced the Fiorentine goal with a 25-yard free kick in the European Union semi-finals, the hot tears finally broke the dam. This goal hit the far post and bounced into the net not only sent Betis to the European final for the first time, but also made him completely tear down the depressing label of Manchester United's period amid the cheers of Biramarin Stadium. From a £84.1 million bid to a marginalist in Old Trafford, to being shouted by fans on the streets of Seville, Anthony's six-year loan history is a football version of "The Earl of Monte Cristo".

Remember the boy who trained in football with rags in St. Paul's "Little Hell" slum? When he joined Manchester United at a sky-high price, he ignited the Dream Theater with Lingbo, which was against Arsenal in the first season. But the off-court storm was like a dark cloud: the accusation of his ex-girlfriend put him in an investigation vortex. He only started three times in the first half of the 2024-25 season, and his performance of zero goals in 287 minutes under Amorin almost swallowed him up. Until Betis splits the haze like the sunshine of the Mediterranean - this La Liga powerhouse who is well versed in the principle of "presumption of innocence" awakens his dusty football soul with the citrus aroma of Biramarin Stadium. On the first day of arriving in Andalusia, Anthony was like a game console with the restart button pressed. In his debut against Athletic Bilbao, he gave a scalpel-like straight pass in the rain; against Celta's first ball, he used the signature inner instep arc to penetrate dead corners; when visiting Real Sociedad, the volley was like a cannonball, and even Pellegrini on the sidelines celebrated in a suit. The most shocking thing is the battle against Real Madrid: he passed three people in a row like a butterfly, assisted Isco to secure the victory, and the entire stadium sang his name when the whistle rang. The data will not lie: Betis averaged 10.1 dribbling and breakthroughs per game, which is 1.6 times that of Manchester United; the report card with 9 goals and 5 assists made La Liga official website call "Brazil Gem regained its brilliance."

"The sunshine here is very similar to the midsummer in Rio. " Anthony often said this to his teammates. The Southern European enthusiasm at Biramarin Stadium healed his depression in Manchester - those days when he locked himself in his bedroom, his wife sang Brazilian folk songs outside the door with her son in her arms; those nights when she couldn't eat, the canned black bean stewed from St. Paul. Now he will walk through the Triana neighborhood with his son's hand. When fans send out the jersey with "Triana's Anthony" printed on it, the boy who was once blocked by debt collectors in the alley in the slums finally understood the warmth outside of football. In the stoppage time of the second leg of the European Union semi-finals, when he gave Abude a final assist, the camera captured Betis legend Joaquin in the stands jumping into the seat and roaring. The 42-year-old veteran laughed after the game: "I prepared a van and kidnapped him to the team if necessary." Chairman Harrow also launched the "Retain Anthony" plan on the crowdfunding website, and 50,000 fans flocked to Biramarin Stadium to sign a petition. At Old Trafford, Manchester United executives were in a complicated mood as if they had broken up the five flavor bottles - the investment that cost 100 million euros was invested, but now it would be possible to stop the loss if 32.5 million pounds were sold, but Betis' salary cap was like a tight curse, making the buyout a mirror. On the eve of the final, Anthony opened the album sent by his mother in the hotel room. In the yellowed photo, the boy practices a free kick with slippers on the streets of Sao Paulo; the middle pages are covered with highlights from Manchester United, but are covered with Betis's team logo stickers; the last page is a volley against Valencia last week, with the waving Brazilian flag in the stands and a green and white scarf intertwined into a sea. He wrote on social media: "Betis' love is like the tide of the Mediterranean, which allows me to find my lost self." At this moment, the outline of the UEFA trophy is looming in the night of Poland, just like the football dream of the slum boy twenty years ago, finally revealed the brightest light after experiencing the storm.