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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Manchester United’s Antony has admitted he’s still struggling to come to terms with his rise from a difficult upbringing in Brazil to Premier League footballer.
The forward has been heavily criticised for his performances since moving to Old Trafford from Ajax for £85 million in 2022.
And while the 24-year-old insists he’s not looking for excuses, he said the transition from growing up in a favela to life as a multi-millionaire footballer has been “difficult.”
“You come from nothing and now have practically everything with such ease, it’s difficult to deal with all of this,” Antony said.
“You go from not having enough to eat, I didn’t have a bedroom when I lived in the favela. I slept on the sofa in the living room, my house would flood when it rained heavily.
“People don’t see these things. I don’t use it as an excuse for my performances as I demand a lot of myself to be always playing well.”
Antony grew up in Inferninho, a favela outside São Paulo. He joined São Paulo as a 10-year-old in 2010 and made his senior debut as a teenager in 2018.
After spending just one full season in São Paulo’s first team, he joined Ajax in 2020 before a move to United quickly followed in 2022.
“My childhood was very difficult as it’s very challenging living in the favela and I lived in the favela for 19 years,” he said.
“I didn’t have boots to play football and at times there wasn’t enough to eat. It’s difficult for me to talk about my background as it’s something that really moves me. It’s not by chance that I have the favela where I grew up tattooed across my back.
“I saw a lot of friends go down another path and some of them lost their lives. When people talk about me or criticise me, I always find solace in where I came from.
“I’ll never let anyone else write my story or let people put me down as I genuinely know what it’s like to be at the bottom.”
Antony is back at United after being given an extended break last season amid accusations of domestic abuse made against him in Brazil and the UK.
He admits the off-field issues have affected his form on the pitch but after “growing and maturing,” the forward says he’s ready for the new campaign.
“I have a lot of objectives, ones I write down for myself and many for this new season,” he said. “I always set out objectives — more goal participations, assists — where I need to improve.
“I put them down on paper rather than on my phone. I’m always looking at them to ensure that I’m constantly improving. I’m writing down more goals for this season and I look at them every day.
“It’s really important for me. It allows me to visualise and mentalise and then step onto the pitch with this in mind.”