ESPN
May 27, 2025, 01:53 PM ET
Brazilian winger Antony wanted "revenge" when he arrived on loan at Real Betis after struggling to live up to his hefty price tag at Manchester United, Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini said Tuesday.
Antony joined Betis in January after scoring just five Premier League goals in two-and-a-half years since a €100 million ($113 million) transfer from Ajax. The 25-year-old has already matched that tally in 17 LaLiga games with Betis, while he has scored four more times in the Spanish club's run to the UEFA Conference League final, where they will face Chelsea on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the final in Wrocław, Poland, Pellegrini said that Antony was motivated by wanting to prove a point.
"I spoke with him before he came to Betis. He told me that he was not playing because he was not happy, but he had a lot of complaints about what he has done also," Pellegrini told reporters Tuesday.
"He wanted revenge and here in Betis I think he had it and he did it in the way we know he can do because it's not easy for you to play as a 100-million player. And Antony is a very good player. I am absolutely sure that this is a huge time for him here in Betis to help improve his career."
It remains to be seen what Antony's future will be beyond Wednesday. Betis have made no secret of their desire to keep the Brazil international in Seville but have also been been open that the finances involved in a permanent transfer may prove beyond them.
While Betis operate on a relatively modest budget, the same is not true of their Conference League final opponents. Still, Pellegrini, who previously led big-spending Manchester City to a Premier League title, insists that budgets will count for nothing when the final kicks off on Wednesday.
"We don't think that we are David and Goliath," he said. "I think that tomorrow we'll have exactly the same possibility to win the game. We are going to start from the first minute to try to do it.
"It doesn't matter how much budget one team or the other team has. In 90 minutes on the pitch, we will have exactly the same chance to win that game."
Real Betis won the Spanish league in 1934-35, as well as three Copas del Rey -- most recently in 2022 -- but they are yet to triumph at the European level, where they had previously never gone past the quarterfinals in any competition.
"Believing is the first step to victory," Betis captain Isco said. "It is going to be a very difficult game, but we trust our squad. We have proved that we are capable of beating any team, and we are looking forward to this final and bringing joy to our fans, who have deserved it the most."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
