Antony Matheus Dos Santos: Manchester United’s No. 21- A Tale of Defiance against the Odds
Many professional football players from Sao Paulo have done great things for their clubs and the Brazilian national team. One such player is Antony Matheus Dos Santos.
Before making the big move to Manchester United, the former Ajax player, played for Sao Paulo’s first team in 2018 after graduating from the club’s academy. He left Sao Paulo for Ajax that summer of 2020 and spent two years there, during which he won the Eredivisie twice and the KNVB Cup once.
There are far more exciting things you didn’t know about the Manchester United winger. He is always a delight to watch, mainly whenever he performs his signature 360-degree spin. This article covers his early life, club career, international career, career statistics, and personal life.
Early Life
Antony Matheus dos Santos (also known as Antony) is a Brazil International who plays for the EPL club Manchester United and the Brazil national team. He was born on February 24, 2000.
He was born in Osasco, Sao Paulo, Brazil. His family originates from Portugal. He spent his childhood in the shantytown of Inferninho. As a kid, he and his aunt would visit matches in Sao Paulo regularly and watch games while playing futsal or street football wherever they could.
Club career
Antony, like many other great players, started as a soccer fan. He always pictured himself as a professional football player, playing in front of a roaring crowd. Not only did his parents encourage him to follow his passion, but they also made sure he had a sound primary education.
São Paulo
Antony had difficulty getting on the field when he was young, almost getting kicked out of the club’s youth team. Still, the staff persuaded the manager to retain him so he could play in the Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior. He delved into playing football at a young age after being discovered by Sao Paulo, who signed him to a contract and brought him into the team’s academy when he was ten.
After meeting at the young academy, Antony, Helinho, and Igor Gomes became friends. He was voted the best player in the competition after leading his side to victory in the Japan J-League Challenge event in September 2018.
A few weeks later, on September 26, he joined Helinho and Igor Gomes in the senior squad. He signed a contract to remain with the club until September 2023.
After being promoted to the first team squad, Antony played his first game in a 1–1 draw against Grêmio on November 15. He came on as a substitute for Helinho. He was immediately moved down to the club’s under-20 team to play in the Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior, which his team won. He scored in the final game against Vasco da Gama and was named the tournament’s best player for scoring four goals and setting up six others in his nine games.
Antony returned to the main squad after his stellar performances in the competition. He quickly saw more playing time as Sao Paulo struggled in the Campeonato Paulista.
On March 21, he scored his first professional goal in a 1-1 draw against So Caetano. In this game, the Tricolor team allowed a late equalizer. He was one of the tournament’s biggest surprises, scoring twice for his team despite their eventual 2-1 aggregate loss to Corinthians in the championship match a month later. He accepted a contract extension until 2024 on July 18.
On March 5, 2020, Antony made his Copa Libertadores debut for Sao Paulo as they lost 2-1 to Binacional of Peru. His last game for the team was on March 14, when they beat rival Santos 2-1 in the San-So derby. After that, the season was put on hold for many months because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Ajax
Antony joined Ajax on February 23, 2020, for an initial fee of £13 million, with a potential increase to £18.2 million throughout a five-year contract beginning on July 1, 2020. On September 13, 2020, he debuted for the club and helped them to a 1-0 victory away at Sparta Rotterdam.
In the 90th minute of his club’s 2-2 tie with Atalanta on October 27, he played for the first time in the Champions League because he injured himself in a fight with Ruslan Malinovskyi. He would score his first goal in the tournament on November 3, 2020, in a 2-1 victory against Midtjylland while playing on the road.
He beat out David Neres for a starting role in 2020-21. He made 46 total appearances while contributing 11 goals and ten assists. He scored the game-winning goal in Ajax’s 3-1 victory over Vitesse in the domestic cup final. His team won both the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup.
As a result of his goals(2) and assists (5) against Sporting CP and Borussia Dortmund in the following season, Ajax became the first Dutch club in Champions League history to win all six group games despite the signings of Mohamed Daramy and Steven Berghuis.
With three goals and an assist in December, he got awarded the league’s Player of the Month and its Talent of the Month.
On March 20, five minutes into extra time, Antony scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 Eredivisie victory over De Klassieker rivals Feyenoord. Seconds later, he got sent off after collecting a second yellow card for time-wasting.
He was injured while on international duty with the Brazil national team nine days later, during a World Cup qualifying match, and will miss the rest of the season. He finished the year with 12 goals and ten assists, helping Ajax defend their Eredivisie crown.
In the 2022-23 season, he wanted to leave Ajax before he even returned from injury on August 6. As a result, he was dropped from the matchday squads against Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht because he failed to attend training after Ajax turned down interest from Manchester United in his services, including an €85 million transfer deal. Antony said in an interview that he intended to leave Ajax in February but waited until the transfer deadline to go through so that he could “follow his dreams.”
Manchester United
On August 30, 2022, Ajax announced that they and Manchester United had reached a deal for Antony’s move. Two days later, Ajax concluded the negotiations; he signed a five-year contract with Ajax for a transfer fee of €95 million (£82 million) plus an additional €5 million (£4.27 million) in add-ons. This transfer was Ajax’s and Eredivisie’s most significant in league history.
He wears the number 21 jersey for Manchester United.
He played his first game for Manchester United on September 4. He scored the winning goal in a 3-1 home league triumph against club rivals Arsenal.
On October 2, he scored again in United’s 6-3 league loss to city rivals Manchester City. He became the first player in United history to score in his team’s first three straight Premier League games.
He also scored the winning goal in a Europa League playoff encounter against Barcelona on February 23, 2023, a day before his 23rd birthday, after returning as a replacement at halftime.
Antony started in a trophy game for Manchester United on February 26, 2023, when the Red Devils won the EFL Cup by defeating Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley Stadium.
An International career with the Brazilian National Team
In the 2019 Toulon Tournament, which began on May 15, Antony got called up to join the Brazil under-23 squad. He scored two goals, including the winning goal in extra time against Japan.
On June 17, 2021, Antony received a spot on Brazil’s under-23 Olympic team. He started in all of Brazil’s six games and also played 22 matches for the under-23 squad, scoring six goals. He helped Brazil beat Spain in the championship game by setting up Malcom’s extra-time winner.
In a World Cup qualifier on October 7, 2021, Antony played his first game for the Brazilian national team. Despite coming into the game as a substitute in the 77th minute, he scored a goal in the 92nd minute.
On November 7, 2022, he received a spot for the squad representing Brazil in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Honors and Achievements
- He has won the Eredivisie in the 2020–21 and 2021/22 seasons.
- He won the 2020/21 KNVB Cup.
- He was part of the Manchester Utd Squad that won the 2022–23 version of the EFL Cup.
- He won the Summer Olympics with the Brazilian National Team in 2020.
- He also won the Toulon Tournament with Brazil in 2019.
- He was part of the Brazilian under-23 squad that won gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
- He was named the FPF Copa So Paulo de Futebol Junior Player of the Tournament for 2019.
- He was the Eredivisie Player of the Month for December 2020 and the Eredivisie Talent of the Month for December 2021.
Stats
Antony Matheus dos Santos is a Manchester United football club midfielder and has played 1287 minutes in 17 appearances this season. Antony Matheus dos Santos has yet to take any penalties.
Here’s a quick rundown of his stats:
- Age: 23 years
- Height: 172cm
- Weight: 65kg
- Shirt Number: 21
- Position: Attacking Midfielder, Right Winger
- Preferred Foot: Left-footed
Life outside football
Antony is married to a beautiful woman named Roseline Silva. Both couples have been together since Antony began his career in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Antony centers his lifestyle outside the field of play around his wife, Roseline, and his only son, Lorenzo.
He loves to take his family on some seaside vacations. The Manchester United and Brazil player is also a religious person.
What is Antony’s net worth?
The Manchester United and Brazil winger makes a living as a professional footballer in the English Premier League. Antony’s net worth sums up to a total of $1.5 million. Antony got paid £19,000 a week while still an Ajax player.
Antony earns around £150,000 per week and an estimated £7,800,000 per year as a Manchester United player.
Fun Facts About Manchester United’s Anthony
Manchester United picked Antony because he is a left winger with creativity, talent, and the ability to pass the ball. Below are some fascinating facts about Manchester United’s Antony dos Santos:
- Although it is unknown whether he is married, Antony has a son and a baby mama. There is limited information regarding his past relationships, but research shows Antony is 22 years old and a millionaire.
- He played 82 games for Ajax and scored 24 goals while at Ajax.
- He has vast followers on his social media. The Manchester United winger has over 4.5 million followers on his Instagram page.
- Most football fans consider Antony, a short player. The Brazilian player, born on February 24, 2000, in Sao Paulo, is 1.75 m tall. His height is approximately 5 ft 8 in.
- When Antony arrived at Manchester United, he got the same shirt number that Edison Cavani wore.
- He is a left-footed right winger, as is for any attacking player. Opening up attacking space is essential to Antony’s function at Manchester United.
- He scored in his first game for Manchester United.
- His expected contract with Manchester United is to last five years.
- The amount for which Manchester United bought Antony is the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player leaving the Eredivisie. The Red Devils bought the former Ajax player for €95 million.
