Antony Or Young Cristiano Ronaldo? Is Antony the next Cristiano for Manchester United?
The Ajax winger Antony Dos Santos will be the new striker for Man United where he will regroup with his old boss Erik Ten Hag and his old friend Lisandro Martinez. This reunion will cost United deeply as signing him will cost them around €100M which is pretty massive for a 22-year-old. The Ajax striker is moving to a club which has not seen much glory yet this signing can be the change that they were waiting for all this time.
Antony is a complete baller who loves to pull all sorts of tricks and skills on the pitch. Something which Old Trafford witnessed long ago when they signed a young Cristiano at the age of 18. The kind of talent Antony is justifying the amount United are ready to pay.
The recent times may not have been very fruitful for Cristiano and Manchester United but it does not affect the status of Cristiano in Manchester. Songs of victories and glories by Sir Alex are still on the lips of United fans all over the world and Cristiano is a big part of it.
In world football whenever a new player emerges and performs well, he is instantly compared to Cristiano or Messi and sometimes both, a few football pundits agree that Antony is better and some don’t. The Brazilian is 22 years old now and we cannot compare him with Cristiano at this stage. However, we can go back in time to see the difference between them and look if the claims are justified or not.
Antony or Young Cristiano? Who is the better player?
1: Player Stats
Any young player needs to have the best stats if he wants to stand out among other young players. In the case of Antony and Cristiano both are exceptionally talented, players like them won’t have the most goals or assists but they are one of the most important parts of the team’s success.
Ajax – Antony 2021/22 Stats Vs Manchester United – Cristiano 2006/07 Stats:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Antony | |
| Matches | 53 | 33 |
| Minutes | 4,386 | 2,535 |
| Goals | 23 | 12 |
| Assists | 14 | 10 |
We can clearly see the difference between these two players at the same age. Cristiano is far ahead of Antony in terms of both goals and assists. One of the main reasons why Antony got massive recognition from the world was his performance in the Champions League, but it looks like Cristiano performed better than him in the Champions League back then. Between them, there is no competition in terms of personal stats.
2: Titles Won
The Brazilian winger is moving from Ajax, a team that won the league twice consecutive under Ten Hag. These two titles are the major achievement for Antony along with the Dutch Cup. In the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, he won some of the biggest titles at the age of 22. By 2007 Cristiano had already won the Premier League, FA Cup, English Super Cup and the Portuguese Super Cup. It was a great time for Manchester United fans which is a perfect memory to remember for them now.
The €100 Million wingers may be good but he is not even close to Cristiano with the current achievements he has.
We cannot compare Cristiano and Antony in any category, the Portuguese are much more talented and ahead compared to him. Cristiano Ronaldo was a totally different breed which is a rare sight that all of us want to experience again but unfortunately, Antony is not that guy. At 22 years of age, Antony may be good but Cristiano was the best at the same age.
Can Antony be the next Cristiano Ronaldo?
Yes, the player has the potential to reach great heights with the right direction and a good team. Ten Hag is a smart man who knows how to get the best out of Antony, it is the main reason why United went so desperate to buy him. If United wants their golden period to return then they will have to trust the manager and let him make the changes he desires. Getting Antony to play for Ten Hag might be the best move for Manchester United in recent years.
