Antony moved to Spain on loan after a difficult spell with the Red Devils under manager Ruben Amorim who took no time in loaning him out as soon as the January transfer window opened. The Brazilian Antony was signed by United for £86 million in 2022 before going on to register just 12 goals and five assists in 96 matches and was deemed as a flop by many supporters.
The 25-year-old scored a phenomenal free kick to secure Betis’ place in the Conference League final against Chelsea where he could secure a European title for the La Liga side. Meanwhile, his parent side United beat Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate to book a place in the Europa League final against Tottenham.
Antony has only played 127 minutes for United in the Europa League; he did make four appearances in the competition but qualifies for a medal according to UEFA rules.
Article 11.03 in UEFA's regulations of the Europa League states: "The winning team is presented with 50 gold medals..."
While Article 57.01, UEFA affirms: "The 15 team officials and 12 substitute players indicated on the match sheet, i.e. a total of 27 persons, are allowed to sit on the team bench."
Antony could be about to make history and opened up after Thursday’s game about how emotional he and his family are about his incredible return to form.
“I feel very happy. My family and I know what we went through three or four months ago to be living this moment today.
“I'm living a dream because I've been through a lot in my personal life; it's changed now.
“I'm very grateful to God for everything, so I can live this moment for myself and my family.
“When the match is over, the emotion comes because it's joy and also relief because I've been through difficult times in my life and today I'm experiencing an incredible moment, not only on the field, but also as a family, which is very important, and I feel very happy.”