Antony is enjoying a happy time with Betis. His brace against Mallorca on Sunday has made him the team's top scorer this season with five goals, confirming, if there were any doubts, why the club decided to invest heavily in his signing at the end of August.
Now, the Brazilian is preparing for a new challenge against Olympique Lyonnais in the fourth matchday of the UEFA Europa League group stage. He'll be debuting a pair of personalized boots, made by his sponsor Puma, which pay tribute to the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, taking place this Sunday at the legendary Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, his hometown.
The boots will also feature the names of his children and wife. Antony will wear these special boots against the French side and also on Sunday, the day of the race, when he visits Valencia in La Liga. The Brazilian will be the only Puma-sponsored athlete in the world to wear this boot model during the race.
"These are wonderful boots, they look really beautiful. I feel honored to have been chosen by Puma to be the only one to wear them. They bring back memories of my country and the names of my family members; it's truly incredible and inspiring," Antony said in a statement released by the brand. "I love F1 and try to follow it whenever I can. Being able to have this connection with the Grand Prix that will be held in Brazil is unique. We have a Brazilian driver who is gaining more and more ground, and I'll be cheering him on," he added.
Antony is experiencing one of the best moments of his professional career. Having put his frustrating spell in Manchester defending the United shirt for two and a half years behind him, the Brazilian has settled in Betis as one of the team's biggest stars and, with his football and his statistics, he is recalling the version of his game that made him one of the most valuable young talents in the world during his time at Ajax Amsterdam.