From United Nightmare to Betis' Euro Dream

Standing between Chelsea and the Uefa Conference League trophy is Real Betis winger Antony, and that means significantly more than it did five months ago.

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The Brazilian, 25, escaped his Manchester United nightmare in January as he joined the La Liga side on loan, looking to rebuild a career that had stalled miserably in the English Premier League.

He became the Red Devils' second-most expensive player ever when he joined from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for £81.3 million (S$142 million), but flopped badly under former manager Erik ten Hag. The pressure at United grew to be too much for the forward.

"Only I know what it was like to be there at home, not having the strength to even play with my son, going days without eating, staying locked in my room," he told TNT Sports Brazil ahead of the final on May 28.

"I told (my brother) that I couldn't take it any more."

Antony has revealed that he emerged from a Brazilian favela, playing without boots and against drug dealers, developing a hard shell - so to suffer so much in Manchester is particularly striking.