It all began in the 'Little Hell'. That's the name given to the favela where Antony grew up, in the north of Sao Paulo. It's where the 23-year-old first learned his dribbling skills, the most striking characteristic of his game.
There, the Brazilian needed to dribble past foes far tougher than those he's encountered on Premier League pitches so far.
In the Little Hell - or Inferninho, to give the favela its Portuguese name - Antony saw people's lives ruined by crime. His family, too, were facing their own issues.
"I saw a lot of people going down a path that wasn't right, do you know what I mean?" he tells FourFourTwo now. "I saw people losing their lives - it was our reality back then. There were days when I didn't have much to eat. My parents always did everything they could for us, but it was really tough. We starved, but we always kept our heads high. I had a dream and my family lived it with me."
That dream was to become a footballer and it ended up transforming his life. At the age of 11, he was invited for a trial at Sao Paulo, the same club he'd cheered on from the stands as a supporter. Unsurprisingly, the skinny boy drew attention for his skills on the ball and not only passed the test but stayed at the club for almost a decade, climbing through the age groups until he reached Sao Paulo's first team in 2018. Antony no longer had to watch his heroes from the stands - he was beside them on the pitch.
After his first few games as a professional footballer, he would still return to the same humble house in Inferninho. Those early performances caught Ajax's attention, and by 2020 he was heading to Europe for two successful seasons in Amsterdam under Erik ten Hag, the man who brought him to Old Trafford last August.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Summer 2023-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NINE REASONS TO BE EXCITED FOR COPA AMERICA
Family feuds, Bielsa's return and an Icelandic dentist - it's all been going on ahead of South America's biggest tournament hosted by, er, the USA. Oh, and Messi's going to be there as well...
30 GREATEST PUNDITS EVER
FFT rates the finest opinion offerers in the history of UK television, via Del Boy, Space Jam and Donald Trump...
"TERRY VENABLES PUT HIS FAITH IN ME AT EURO 96 - I COULDN'T LET HIM DOWN"
Only Cristiano Ronaldo and Michel Platini have more goals at the Euros than Alan Shearer's seven - the forward hit five on home soil to secure the Golden Boot in 1996, and tells FFT why he found form at the perfect moment
HOW DID I FEEL AFTER SCORING NINE GOALS IN FIVE GAMES AT EURO 84? TIRED!
Forty years ago, Michel Platini's Euros-record tally propelled France to glory on home soil... and he wasn't even a forward. No player has ever had a finer European Championship - now, in his own words, he recalls it to FFT
WHY ENGLAND COULD TAKE THE HANDBRAKE OFF AT THE EUROS
Gareth Southgate has been labelled a cautious coach in recent major tournament near-misses - in Germany he might just be more adventurous, which brings risks but also potential reward
GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND
A Frenchman, an Englishman and a local genius walk into a Caucasus country to qualify for a first major tournament - is this a joke? Not for Georgia, who are dreaming big
SYIVINHO KING OF ALBANIA
The former Arsenal defender was an unexpected appointment last year, but he guided the Balkan nation to Euro 2024 - and now he tells FFT that he wants to spring another surprise...
CAPITAINE LEADER LEGENDE
Kylian Mbappe wrote his name into history at successive World Cups. Now France's captain and desperate to break his Euros goal drought, can he make it to the Berlin final and succeed where Zinedine Zidane failed 18 years ago?
JUDE AWAKENING
Three years ago, Jude Bellingham briefly became the European Championship's youngest ever player - now, after a superb debut season at Real Madrid, he's ready to make a greater impact
VIVA RONALDO
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal career was as good as over when he was dropped at the last World Cup - instead, CR7 goes to Euro 2024 as their main man once more, aged 39. Will this be the end, and can he make one last pitch to be considered the greatest?