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Man Utd star Antony on difficult upbringing: 'Twenty yards from my house there were drug dealers'

Manchester United forward Antony opened up about his challenging upbringing in a favela in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Antony's childhood was challenging
Moved to the Netherlands in 2020
Recently joined Man Utd from Ajax

WHAT HAPPENED? Antony revealed the struggles he had to overcome to make it as a footballer after growing up in poverty.

WHAT THEY SAID: "I didn't have boots to play football. I didn't have a bedroom, I slept on the sofa," he told Sky Sports. "I lived right in the middle of the favela. Twenty yards from my house were drug dealers. There were moments my brother, sister and I would cry and hug each other thinking about our lives. There were times when we were bailing water out of our flooded house, but we'd still do it with a smile on our faces."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Antony made a lightning start to his Manchester United career, netting on his debut against Arsenal after just 35 minutes. The Brazilian latched onto Marcus Rashford's pass and curled an effort past Aaron Ramsdale.

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AND WHAT'S MORE: However, Antony's European debut was less eye-catching. The Brazilian struggled to make an impact before being substituted in his side's 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad.

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