Manchester United star Antony has hit back at his critics after coming under fire for his unnecessary bragging against FC Sherrif on Thursday.
The incident in particular became the talking point of Manchester United’s 3-0 win over their Europa League opponent. The Brazilian arrogantly performed two consecutive 360° turns before putting the ball out of play with a heavy pass.
It was criticized by various experts, including Paul Scholes. Owen Hargreaves and Robby Savage. Scholes went so far as to label him a “clown” for his bragging. He said:
“I like to see skill, but I don’t think it’s skill or entertainment.” “That’s just being a clown, isn’t it?”
Meanwhile, former Premier League manager Ian Holloway called him “disrespectful” and “silly”. He told SkySports (via Metro):
“Was it relevant? Was necessary? She will get a flea in her ear. For the other players it is a lack of respect. I don’t even know what he’s thinking, unnecessary nonsense.
“Practice that off the pitch, on the training pitch, but when you go out, you have to be realistic.
“He revealed the ball two seconds later, kicked it straight in, so come on. He is off to a great start. I don’t know him, obviously his coach knows him and won’t put up with him and neither will the other players.
“It is disrespectful and nonsense. Grow up a bit.
Antony has finally responded to his critics with a post on social media. He posted a video of the incident on his Instagram story with the following caption:
“We are known for our art and I will not stop doing what got me where I am!”
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Antony was substituted at half-time during United’s 3–0 win at Old Trafford, but United manager Erik ten Hag claimed the substitution had nothing to do with the incident.
This is not the first time the Brazilian has been criticized for his bravado. Also when he was at Ajax, he was often criticized and during an interview with the Dutch publication De Telegraaf, he talked about the negative response he gets for his skill display during matches. However, he stated that he doesn’t think much about what other people think about it, as it is an important part of his game and mindset. He said:
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. No matter what people say, I stay focused. Even Jesus, who was perfect, could not please everyone. So who am I to please everyone?
“Some people love my tricks, some people don’t. I find them functional and I do them because I want to show my opponent that I am the boss. And very often it leads to an assist or a goal.”
