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Manchester United winger Antony has named teammate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the three players he used to look up to as a kid. The Brazil international revealed that he used to idolize two of his countrymen Ronaldinho and Neymar along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The fleet-footed attacker claimed that he used to watch the trio on YouTube while growing up under difficult circumstances in his homeland. He told The Players' Tribune:
"I learned all the tricks from the legends. Ronaldinho, Neymar, Cristiano. I used to watch them on YouTube, thanks to my 'uncle' Toniolo. He is not my blood uncle. He was our next-door neighbor. But he treated me like family. When I was little, he used to let me steal his WiFi so I could go on YouTube and get my football education."
"He even gave me my first video game. If Toniolo had two loaves of bread — it was one for him, the extra for us. This is what people don’t understand about the favela. For every one person doing bad, there’s two doing good."
Antony now plays alongside his idol Cristiano Ronaldo after working his way to Manchester United through Sao Paulo and Ajax. The winger joined the Red Devils in the summer from Ajax in a deal worth €95 million (£82 million).
The Brazilian has had a decent start to life at Old Trafford, scoring thrice in 11 outings across competitions. He came under scrutiny earlier this season after attempting his trademark spin in the 21st minute of the side's 3-0 Europa League win over FC Sheriff Tiraspol on 27 October.
Cristiano Ronaldo unlikely to play in a Manchester United shirt again
Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly informed the Manchester United hierarchy that Ronaldo should not play for the club again following his explosive interview.
The Portuguese superstar made the headlines on Sunday when previews dropped of his interview with Piers Morgan.
In the interview, Ronaldo slammed Ten Hag, former interim boss Ralf Rangnick and former teammate Wayne Rooney. He also highlighted the poor facilities at Manchester United in comparison to their rivals.
Ten Hag held a meeting with co-chairman Joel Glazer, chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough on Monday (November 14). The Dutchman is furious with the five-time Ballon d'Or and has demanded that the Portuguese doesn't play another game for the club.
