Antony has described his return to the national team as more emotional than his first Brazil call-up after “hitting rock bottom” at Manchester United earlier this season.

The winger, who has not played for the national team since 2023, was included in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers after an impressive second half of the campaign on loan at Real Betis from United.

“It was one of the most emotional moments,” Antony told Brazil’s Football Confederation. “I mentioned to some friends here in the national team that this call-up was more exciting than the first time I came here [October 2021], and it was even more emotional because of everything I’ve been through.

“Being in good shape, hitting rock bottom, and having the resilience that I had, with the help of God and my family, was very important.”

Antony has scored just 12 goals in 96 appearances for United since his £85 million ($114.6m) transfer from Ajax in 2022. He did not start in any Premier League games this season before joining Betis.

He did get regular playing time at Betis, scoring nine goals in 26 games while also helping the club reach its first European final.

“Even though I had no hope during the difficult time I was going through, at the same time I remembered many things I had experienced,” Antony, 25, said.

“I stopped to think and said to myself: ‘I haven’t forgotten how to play soccer, I didn’t play in a World Cup for nothing, I didn’t make it to the national team for nothing.’ Everything happens for a reason, and this process was very necessary for my life because it made me stronger.”

Antony’s last game for Betis was a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Conference League final. He bid farewell to Betis on May 31, describing his spell at the Seville-based club as “one of the most beautiful chapters of my life.”

Antony has a contract with United until June 2027. He has scored two goals in 16 appearances for Brazil.