Antony’s glorious bicycle kick in the Seville derby deserves its own statue | OneFootball

Forget El Clasico – Real Betis v Sevilla is the best fixture in Spanish football and we won’t hear otherwise.

Derbies when both teams aren’t hugely successful at national level always come with an extra intensity – think Roma v Lazio or Newcastle v Sunderland.

Trophies are rare. Mutual loathing is intensified and the parochial factor is whacked up a few notches. There is talk of little else in the days before each encounter.

Real Betis v Sevilla is Spain’s fiercest city derby. The latter have the edge on trophies following their Europa League domination over the past 20 years, but are at something of a low ebb.

Meanwhile, Betis have always claimed to be Spain’s fourth biggest club in terms of fanbase size.

They also pride themselves on being Seville’s working-class team. Both teams are well-supported and there aren’t many Madrid or Barcelona fan clubs in the city.

There’s a reason they call it “El Gran Derbi.” The two teams are forever intertwined, neither really thriving at the same time.

“The Seville derby is the way it is because Seville is the way it is,” wrote Sid Lowe in 2022. “Noisy, loud, fun, the feeling held deep. Passionate.”

Antony would appear primed to thrive in such a fixture. Even during his frustrating Manchester United days, nobody would think to call him cold-blooded.

He’s thrived since signing permanently last summer, following a successful loan spell in 2024-25, as Betis push for Champions League qualification.

The Brazilian forward opened the scoring in Sunday’s fixture at La Cartuja, netting from close range and giving the Betis fans a collective orgasm.

‘Netting from close range’. Who are we kidding?

Abde Ezzalzouli motored away from the Sevilla defender, took the ball to the byline and scooped into the evening sky.

A minor bout of pinball broke out, until Antony contorted his body like Play-Doh and spanked a bicycle kick past the helpless goalkeeper.

If we ever get around to making a list of players who weren’t great goalscorers, but were scorers of great goals, Antony would be in the top one.

The former United winger now has seven La Liga goals after 21 games, alongside five assists.

Previously asked why he believed things did not go well at Old Trafford, Antony said: “I am a man who accepts my responsibilities.

“I think off-field matters affected me a lot, in my performance. I know my potential, I know my qualities, I didn’t play in a World Cup for nothing, I didn’t return to the national team for nothing.

“I also take responsibility for it not working out, for not performing as I wanted. But I always try to see the bright side of things, going through this entire process, this time at United, was necessary to see myself.”

Weighed down by the sheer size of the transfer fee, the dysfunction at United and perhaps his own limitations, Antony is busy rebooting his career in the capital of Andalucia.

Think of all those images of Spain, the cliches and the picture book stuff that gets your mouthwatering during a British winter. You’re thinking of Seville.

It’s a visceral place and an on-form Antony is a visceral footballer. It’s no surprise that he’s illuminated Spain’s best fixture.