Drug dealers, gangsters and corpses marked Antony’s youth

Anthony He is having a bad time. The Brazilian forward is far from Manchester United and the selection because of an alleged assault on an ex-partner. Despite declaring his innocence, his future looks uncertain as Old Trafford have got a good handle on what happened to Mason Greenwood and he doesn’t want any more cases of this kind. From the future star, Greenwood was rejected by all but Getafe.

Antony has recently settled in a rough neighborhood of Sao Paulo called ‘Inferninho’, where he lives with drug traffickers, weapons and corpses that he has to go around. Last year, in ‘The Players Tribune’, he described in detail his childhood in the favelas: “If you really want to know what kind of person I am, you have to understand where I come from. I’m talking about my history and my roots,” which are in Inferninho. It is a famous place where their business is selling drugs. You can always smell the smell of drugs from the window of the house.”

This is his daily life. “After a while guns no longer inspired fear, they were simply part of everyday life. We were more afraid of the police visiting. One time they came in screaming because they were looking for someone. Of course, they didn’t find anything in the house. At one point young age these incidents make a deep impression on you but in the favela you become a bit insensitive to these things. One day, on my way to school, I came across a dead body. to school was not an option, So I closed my eyes and jumped on the dead body .”

Addicted to videos of Ronaldinho, Neymar and Ronaldo

Antony not only spent a lot of time outside playing football, but he also became addicted to YouTube videos of his idols Ronaldinho, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. He explains that one day an ‘angel’ appeared and saved his life: the director of the Gremio Barueri indoor soccer club, who opened the door to soccer for him. The dream of becoming a professional footballer is taking shape. “I remember walking with my mother and I saw a red Range Rover driving through the neighborhood. It looked like a Ferrari and everyone was impressed. I immediately said: ‘When I am a good soccer player, I will quickly buy such a car. .’ He laughed, but I spoke seriously and said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be able to drive soon.'”

Sao Paulo FC offered him his chance when Antony was just fourteen years old. However, their way of life did not change overnight. “I was a skinny guy. Even so, I played with blood in my eyes. That intensity comes from the street, you can’t fake it. People think I’m lying when I tell them this, but even after my debut with Sao Paulo, I still live in the favela. In fact, when I was 18, I still slept in bed with my father. It was either that or sleeping on the couch! In 2019, when I scored against Corinthians in the São Paulo final, that night I return to the favela and On the street I heard: ‘I just saw you on TV, what are you doing here?’ ‘I live here, brother,’ I answered. Everyone laughed, they didn’t believe me.”

“People always ask me how I went so quickly from Sao Paulo to Ajax and, from there, to Manchester United. I always say that I am not afraid of a football field. What is fear? If you are already jumping over dead bodies . on the way to school, then, as a soccer player, you won’t be afraid of anything. With the ball in your feet you can only feel joy, that’s how Brazilian soccer players are.” Regarding criticism of his eccentricities on the field, he states: “I don’t do anything without an intention, there is always an idea behind it. If you think I’m just a clown, you don’t understand anything. The art created by Ronaldinho , Neymar and Cristiano “Ronaldo has a big influence on me. I would watch them and then stand on a concrete block trying to imitate them.”