Michail Antonio was ‘close to dying’ as West Ham star opens up on car crash | OneFootball

West Ham striker Michail Antonio has revealed how close he came to losing his life after crashing his Ferrari into a tree in December.

Antonio escaped the “horrendous accident” with a broken leg but said he did not realise how fortunate he was until visiting the remains of his wrecked vehicle.

The 34-year-old said in an interview for Morning Live on BBC One that he had no memory of the crash, which left his leg “shattered”, but said he hopes to return to football and resume his playing career.

West Ham’s record scorer in the Premier League faces a long recovery back to full fitness as he opened up on the frightening incident.

“It just made me realise how close I was to dying,” Antonio said after visiting his crumpled car. “I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess.”

Antonio was able to attend West Ham’s home fixture against Newcastle last week and he received a warm welcome on his return to the London Stadium.

But the Jamaica international said he is aware of how difficult his road to recovery could be and says it could be “between six to 12 months” before his leg starts to properly heal.

"I shattered my femur bone in four different places," Antonio said. "I had one single keyhole surgery. They put a pole in my thigh with four bolts, so screws and bolts to knit it back together.”

He remains focused on playing for West Ham again and is convinced that he will return to the pitch after being encouraged by his progress.

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(PA Wire)

“It's a horrendous accident and it's a massive injury," Antonio said. "It's the biggest injury I've ever had in my career.

“But the fact that I'm already two to three months ahead of where I should be, I know that I'll play again, and I know that once I'm playing the game I'll get the sharpness back.

"I was one of the quickest at West Ham. So my body wasn't the body of a 34-year-old before I had the accident anyway. I can still be sharp and still do the business.

"People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something that I've always believed in and this is just another setback, and it is not going to stop me."