Inferninho, the Sao Paulo neighborhood or ‘favela’ where Manchester United winger Antony grew up, life was difficult.
The experiences of living, learning, and surviving in such a harsh environment have left an indelible impression on the 23-year-old, no matter where his profession leads him.
There was also his uneasy proximity to drug traffickers and weaponry.
Or, as Antony, then eight years old, passionately described to the Players’ Tribune website last year, the day he discovered a dead body.
He was driving to school.
Despite those incredible trials, United’s no.21 has fond recollections of his formative years in the famed ‘little hell’.
Antony will be preparing for a hectic festive fixture calendar as people around the world close their laptops and clock off for the holidays.
The English football calendar is unconcerned with sentimentality. It doesn’t stop for Christmas, as even Inferninho used to do in the middle of a scorching Brazilian summer.
“My family would work so hard to put a smile on the faces of me, my brother, and sister,” Antony says, his face brightening as he recalls previous Decembers.
“Christmas was really special because everyone got together for a family barbecue.”
“Not just family, people from the community were always there with us too, wishing everyone Merry Christmas.”
Antony’s family was not wealthy, as was the norm throughout Inferninho.
They couldn’t afford clothes or shoes, but there were gifts – and they were usually football-related, from a young age.
The most treasured?
That was the present that would eventually help him and his family flee the favela, sending him to Sao Paulo, Ajax, United, and the Brazilian national team.
“My best present was always a ball,” he says. “Boots were difficult, more expensive, and out of our price range.”
“I always shared with my friends, whenever I got a present we’d go down to the football pitch and I’d invite my friends to play and have fun.”
While fans attending our Boxing Day match against Aston Villa at Old Trafford will be sweating it out under layer after layer of warm clothes, there will be no coats in sight in South America.
There will be no sitting around the fire with close family, watching Home Alone and snacking on mince pies.
If you visit Brazil at this time of year, you’ll be celebrating on the beach with a cocktail in your hand, enjoying temperatures of roughly 30 degrees Celsius.
Another notable distinction is that Christmas Eve is the most important occasion, when communities gather to exchange gifts, eat a lot of food, and, for Catholics, attend midnight mass.
“We celebrate on the 24th, everyone is really excited for Christmas, it’s a day everyone looks forward to,” said Antony.
“Christmas is very well celebrated in Brazil, with family and friends all together.” With football still going on in England, things are a little different. The same is true in the Netherlands.
“There is more time for family and friends in Brazil.” It’s funny since we get up on the 24th looking forward to that evening. We put on our new clothing and parade them around to our friends and relatives.
“We spend the entire day anticipating until about 7 or 8 p.m., when we put on our new clothes and wait until midnight to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.”
“There’s always turkey; it’s something we always have at Christmas as part of a massive food banquet.” As I already stated, it is a very special day for Brazilians.”
That specialness fades with age, though those with children will attest that the enchantment of Christmas may be revived.
Indeed, the arrival of Antony’s son, Lorenzo, in 2019 has given this significant time of year even more significance.
“My son is without a doubt my greatest gift.”