Antony: the star of Ajax and the successor of Neymar to follow on the European scene

Once again, a group of young people excited the Ajax with the throne of Europe. By sweeping the group stage, being the true leader with absolutely all the games won, the road to the quarterfinals of the Champions League looked simple for the Amsterdam club. In addition, there was a lot of confidence in what many of the youngsters on the squad could do, especially the Brazilian Antony Matheus dos Santos, who just turned 22 is considered the “new Neymar”. But Benfica, against all odds, delivered the coup de grâce at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Thus, Antony’s dreams, in his first Champions League, vanished in the round of 16. However, despite the fall, the skillful winger sees a very promising future, so he will have many rematches later, perhaps with Ajax, perhaps with another team.

Born in the municipality of Osasco, Anthony From a young age he forged a unique talent in the streets of Brazil. His childhood was complicated. He once told Globoesporte that he felt a lot of pressure, when he was hungry in the favela where he grew up. However, nothing could prevent him from wearing the Sao Paulo shirt one day and thus beginning his professional adventure.

Quickly, with only a little more than one season with the ‘Tricolor’,

It is not by chance that he is emerging as Neymar’s successor. He is quite skilled, has a very good dribble and likes to play the diagonal to the inside as well as overflow on the wings. As if that were not enough, he has a very exquisite touch, so he is not only a scorer, but also an assister.

Antony’s statistical balance this season with Ajax is positive:

Without a doubt, the Brazilian winger is a great project for the future and the important thing is that he is now in good hands. With Ajax, which has a positive reputation for taking care of young talent from him, Antony can continue on the path of success, although it is true that other big clubs on the Old Continent are already interested in his services.

History in Amsterdam and its possible destinations in the future

In the wonderful city of Amsterdam it will never be forgotten when Ajax dominated Europe for three consecutive editions (1970-1971, 1971-1972, 1972-1973) with their ‘Total Football’ with Johan Cruyff as the greatest exponent on the field of play. That glorious era was only repeated in 1994/95 with Louis van Gaal driving the success of the Dutch school.

Many years have passed since then and the philosophy and essence of the club has been maintained, but no other ‘Orejona’ has ever shone in its record.

Many of those players, after playing a great role in the European competition, signed for other teams. De Jong went to Barcelona, ​​de Ligt to Juventus, van de Beek to Manchester United, Ziyech to Chelsea and so on. Very few of that squad remained, but Ajax is already used to this type of exodus.

The Amsterdam club, true to Cruyff’s legacy, continued to recruit more players from its youth academy and sign up those who shine early to enhance them. That’s how it came Anthonyfrom Sao Paulo, and quickly became an important place in the team.

With the ’11’ on his back, the Brazilian has many times confirmed his great ingenuity and insight on the pitch.

In the current campaign, already aware of the elimination from the Champions League, Antony will seek to add the same two trophies to his showcase again.

Now, keep in mind that Antony has a contract with Ajax until June 2025, so it will be very difficult for him to leave the club soon. Surely, the Brazilian’s intention is to fight again for the Champions League title with the Dutch club, but he cannot ignore the offers that come from other leagues either.

“Ajax is the place where I feel happy. But of course I think about going out in the future sometimes. The Premier League and La Liga are the competitions I like the most. When the time is right, I hope to play there.”revealed the 22-year-old winger in an interview with ‘De Telegraaf’ a month ago.

So Antony’s priority for now is to continue to shine for the Dutch team. However, he could give his arm to twist for clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid of Spain, in addition to Chelsea, Manchester United and other English league clubs that have already expressed interest in him for the Brazilian.

Neymar’s successor

Neymar He is the true leader of the current Brazilian team. No doubts about that. With 30 years on him, ‘Ney’ hopes to continue shining with ‘Scratch’ for the next challenges, but one day time will run out and someone will have to take his place.

In that context, Anthony It is outlined as the good successor for Neymar. The enormous potential that he has and his enviable gambeta places him in that important place. It will be a matter of him taking advantage of the opportunities that come his way with his selection.

In fact, the 22-year-old winger already knows what it’s like to succeed representing his country.

Although he did not score a goal in the Olympic tournament, the Ajax striker was instrumental in reaching the final. He played as a starter in all the ‘Canarinha’ matches and, already in the definition of the title against Spain, he shone with an assist for Malcom’s goal in the extra period, which sentenced the Brazilian victory.

Now, thanks to his great performances with Ajax, Tite has given Antony the necessary opportunities to show himself with the senior team.

Now, the young winger from Brazil has once again been considered for the last double date of the Qualifiers, so he hopes to continue down the same path. His goal is to convince Tite that he is fully ready to also contribute to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.