ESPN Brasil on Thursday published a part of an exclusive interview they’ve conducted with Manchester United attacker Antony.
Prior to the full conversation, which is probably being first aired on TV, they selected a snippet where the winger speaks about the hard times he’s been having lately.
Antony was asked about the pressure that’s been on him to show something better since his arrival at Manchester United last summer. And he points out that his ups and downs may be related to the issues he’s been having off the field.
“There were a lot of moments here. It’s just that I’m a guy who always tries to show my joy, whether I’m sad or not, going through difficulties or not. I always try not to show it to others. I always keep it to myself. So there were many days, many difficult days,” Antony told ESPN Brasil.
“But as I said, it’s day to day, we’re connected with God, we’re connecting with the people we love, which brings us back to joy, getting back to being well with ourselves, which is what more important.”
Antony was clearly moved when saying this first set of quotes, and ESPN Brasil journalist João Castelo-Branco asked him what is this big difficulty he’s been having.
Then the player turned to his personal issues.
“No, it’s like I said, there are many things in relation to the family, in relation to personal things, that people don’t see and don’t understand. Because seeing Antony on the field is normal to see. But when you go through some difficult moments people don’t see and don’t understand. That’s why I say this.
“But as I said, when we connect with God, with friends, with people we love, these things change, our minds get better, and everything goes as we want.”
Since last year, the Brazilian media has made a big noise about Antony’s marriage situation and reported relationships with others. Most of the news came out around the national team’s disappointing World Cup campaign in Qatar, and with him playing below expectations at Manchester United, that undoubtedly became a snowball for the 23-year-old.
