He wore the Manchester United jersey in 2022, becoming the most expensive transfer of the summer transfer window and the second largest in the history of the giant from Old Trafford.
It seemed that the "devils" had acquired a player in Antonio who would make a difference, but for the Brazilian, the "theater of dreams" quickly became the "theater of nightmares."
The 100 million-dollar guy who came from Ajax, along with Harry Maguire, was mostly the culprit for all of United's bad games, he was increasingly on the bench, so this January he decided to go on loan to Betis.
Sunny Andalusia quickly dispelled the gloomy English clouds from Antonio's life, and only three games in the green and white jersey were enough for the footballer from Sao Paulo to enjoy himself on the pitch again.
He was named man of the match on his debut against Athletic Bilbao (2:2), his first goal came in the very next match against Celta (3:2 defeat), and another last night in the Conference League playoffs against Gent (3:0).
Both goals were masterpieces, and in addition to the one against Atletico, he also earned the MVP award in the duel with Celta.
"Things come naturally when you're happy," said Antoni after the victory in Belgium, clearly conveying how difficult it was for him to find his way in Manchester.
Some media in Spain are writing that Betis will try to keep Antonio after the summer, but even when he was leaving Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim hinted that United had not given up on the Brazilian.
"Antoni is someone who needs to regain his confidence. He's someone who works really hard, he tries, but it's obvious that he's lost faith in himself. After all, just remember how he played at Ajax, with how much confidence in everything he does he went one-on-one with every player," Amorim said in December.
Antoni is finally happy, and Betis fans are especially happy - will Manchester United wonder if it's just until the summer?
Bonus video:
