Manchester United's Antony reveals inspiration behind his next tattoo

Manchester United's Antony reveals inspiration behind his next tattoo

Joel Omotto • 10:10 - 07.04.2023

The Brazilian is loved and loathed in equal measure due to his flair during matches.

Manchester United winger Antony has several tattoos but he’s not done yet, as he has expressed an intention to add another one.

With most of his tattoos having personal meanings, he next work of body art will follow the same route as he intends to pay tribute to the Sao Paulo neighbourhood in which he grew up in Brazil.

“I’ve got ‘favela’ written on my boots,” he told United’s in-house channel, when we asked if he'd carried any mementoes with him from back home. “It’s always been there. I’ll soon be getting a tattoo of the favela where I used to live.”

The favela in question is 'Inferninho', or 'little hell', a working-class area Antony spoke at length about in an interview with The Players' Tribune last year.

Antony has previously utilised his upbringing when it comes to his body art and he even shares a matching one with his brother, who he credits as a huge influence on his career.

“I’ve got this one together with my brother, which says ‘only those from the same place know what I’ve been through’,” he added. “This one on my neck is a chain pendant and the full sleeve has meaning.”

The 23-year-old also has a tattoo of the Olympics medal he won with Brazil at the Tokyo Games two years ago and with the Red Devils still in the running for the FA Cup and Europa League, maybe one of those could also be added.

Antony joined United for €95 million (Sh13.8 billion) from Ajax Amsterdam last summer, the highest sum paid for an Eredivisie player, and in known for his footballing flair, including his signature spin which has drawn criticism and support in equal measure from observers.

He has scored seven goals in 32 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s men so far this season.