Could Antony’s post Man United revival land Real Madrid or Barcelona move?

Barca or Real Madrid? 

For many Manchester United supporters, Antony would rank high amongst the club’s worst-ever signings but he has revitalised his career at Real Betis. Driven, unwisely, by Erik ten Hag, United paid Ajax €95 million for the Brazilian international after panicking towards the end of the transfer window following a dismal start to the2022/23 season. It wasn’t Antony’s fault that United massively overpaid to acquire him but he was unquestionably burdened by his price tag and struggled to meet expectations as United’s second most expensive signing, despite a promising start.

Antony, often unfairly, was ridiculed during his two-and-a-half year spell at Old Trafford but he’s rekindled his love for football at Real Betis. Initially joining on a six-month loan deal, Antony shone in LaLiga and inspired Los Verdiblancos to the Europa Conference League final last season. Furthermore, the 25-year-old was afforded a heroes’ welcome when he returned to Betis on a permanent deal this summer and he’s continued to impress.

Antony’s impressive numbers at Real Betis

The Brazilian was overjoyed after completing his return to Seville after a testing time in England, which included serious off-field accusations. Only God and my family know what I’ve been through,” said Antony on his return. “Betis is the best place I’ve ever lived. Money is important, but happiness is more important. And I’m very happy here. I want to spend more time with Manuel Pellegrini.” It’s abundantly clear why Antony loves playing in the famous green and white jersey as he’s rediscovered the form which made him one of the most coveted right-wingers on the planet at Ajax.

As the graphic above illustrates, only Julián Alvarez has more goal contributions than Antony amongst LaLiga players outside Real Madrid and Barcelona since the Brazilian joined Betis in January 2025. The winger has scored 19 goals and provided 14 assists across 55 appearances, including three goal contributions against Fiorentina in the Conference League semi-final last season. Only Petar Stanic (8) has more goal contributions than Antony (7) in the Europa League this season and his attacking output has improved dramatically since his time in United.

Antony: Real Betis and Manchester United form compared

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Antony’s attacking numbers are far superior at Betis than Man United as the Premier League is a much stronger competition than LaLiga. The Brazilian’s numbers also benefitted from playing in the Conference League but his improvement should still be applauded. As the graphic below illustrates, Antony is averaging 0.67 goals and assists per 90 minutes at Betis, compared to 0.28 g/a per90 at United – which is a substantial rise.

Antony earned a recall to the Brazil squad last summer under Carlo Ancelotti and that representing his country at the World Cup will be a major personal target, but he’s dropped out of the squad this season. But could his form also earn attention from Spain’s biggest two clubs? We asked Ivan Fuente, LaLiga expert at Transfermarkt. He is the best player of Real Betis and one of the top players in LaLiga. He’s found a team where he is the main star. Barça has Lamine Yamal on the right, and if they sign Marcus Rashford, there won’t be room for him. Meanwhile, something similar happens at Real Madrid with Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappé, Franco Mastantuono and Rodrygo.”