“Wouldn’t be here” | Antonio shares emotional message as he nears return | OneFootball

Michail Antonio has spoken of his recovery from a horrific car accident last year, which he was lucky to even survive.

The West Ham record Premier League goal scorer has made incredible steps in his journey from almost losing his life, towards stepping over the white line to play for the club he joined back in 2015 once again.

However the Hammers striker admits he is incredibly lucky, sharing what is clearly a life changing moment for him, as he adjusts to his new outlook on life.

“I’m lucky to be alive at the end of the day, so I’m very positive when it comes to life now, because I’ve got a second chance at it. I’m never going to let anything drag me down, and right now I’m happy,” Antonio told the clubs Official Website.

“The main reflections I have of the whole process are of how far I’ve come in a short space of time. On the second day they had physios in with me, trying to get me to lift my leg, and I couldn’t even get it off the bed. Now, I can walk and jump, and I’m trying to jog, all within three months.

“When they first told me I needed to get out of bed, they tried to lift my leg up and I wasn’t having it. The pain was ridiculous! But they soon had me up and on crutches, and there was steady progress from then as I tried to build the strength back into my leg and get the muscles working again.

“Within three weeks I was walking, and by five weeks I was walking normally, trying to do more strength work with the leg press. I’m at 130kg on the leg press now, and I can hop and I’m trying to jump. Things are improving all the time, and the muscles are getting back to where they were, which is great. I’ve enjoyed pushing the boundaries, without overdoing it. I’m a lot further ahead than they might’ve thought, and things are going well.

“That’s all down to the people who have helped me, and I’ve obviously said thank you to the relevant people already, a number of times. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be here without those people. They saved my life, which is precious to me and my family, so all my thanks go to them.”