Antony explains why he makes the letter ‘L’ with his fingers after every goal for Ajax and Brazil. The 21-year-old winger says that the letter stands for Larissa, a Brazilian girl who is recovering from cancer. The two met in 2019 at São Paulo, where Antony was building at the time.
“She means a lot to me”, says Antony in a conversation with Fidelity† “I will carry her in my heart forever.” The Brazilian forward was deeply touched by Larissa. He still visited her regularly and shaved his head as a sign of support. “We still have a lot of contact. Before every match she sends a message to wish me luck. Larissa is a great source of inspiration for me. Although she has been through a lot, she remains strong. Fortunately, she is now doing well.”
Antony’s L celebration partly goes out to Larissa, a young Sao Paulo fan who suffers from leukemia. In the past he shaved his head for her.
“Try to imagine.. a little girl suffering from cancer. When I hug her, I feel so much positive spirit. She’s an inspiration to me.” pic.twitter.com/AFtAnVg2x9
† † † (@TheEuropeanLad) October 24, 2021
Antony will not soon be wrong and tries to live modestly and humbly. This is partly due to his origin. The Ajax attacker grew up in a favela in a suburb of São Paulo. “That place will be in my mind forever,” says Antony. “Every day I saw things that weren’t good, but my parents always told me what was right and wrong. As a result, I have learned to keep my feet on the ground. I’m no better than anyone else. Growing up in the favela was a motivation for me to succeed as a professional football player.”
Antony made the switch from Santos to Ajax over a year and a half ago and is very pleased with life in the Netherlands. “I feel very much at home here, especially because of the feeling of freedom,” says the attacker. “I can normally do my shopping here on the street and in peace. In addition, the people are cheerful and the supporters are sweet.”