West Ham’s Michail Antonio Confirms Return Plans After Horrific Car Crash | OneFootball

Antonio’s Road to Recovery Following Devastating Crash

West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has emphatically ruled out retirement as he continues his recovery from a severe leg injury sustained in a harrowing car crash late last year. The 34-year-old insists he is “100 per cent” certain he will play football again after what he describes as “another chance at life.”

The crash, which occurred during Storm Darragh in early December, saw Antonio’s Ferrari veer off the road and collide with a tree in Epping Forest. The impact shattered his femur in four places, leaving him hospitalised for over three weeks.

Despite the severity of the injury, Antonio has made remarkable progress in his rehabilitation, even travelling to Dubai for strength training. In an interview with BBC One’s Morning Live, he spoke candidly about his physical and emotional recovery, acknowledging that therapy has played a pivotal role in helping him process the ordeal.

Photo: IMAGO

Emotional and Physical Recovery

Reflecting on his progress, Antonio revealed he is far ahead of schedule in his recovery: “I’m in a good place. I’m a good three months ahead of where I should be. I’ve lifted 130 kilograms on the leg. Mentally, I’m in a good place too.”

However, the injury itself was severe. “I shattered my femur bone in four different places. They’ve had to put the bone back together. They say between six to 12 months before it starts healing properly.”

Antonio admitted that he has no recollection of the crash itself, describing the experience as surreal. “It’s crazy because I don’t remember very much at all. That’s the last thing I remember: leaving the house and going to training.”

Despite being conscious at the scene, Antonio has no memory of the immediate aftermath. “People have told me that I was awake and speaking to everybody, but I don’t recall it. All I know is I hit a tree. I don’t know how I hit a tree.”

Facing the Aftermath

The aftermath of the crash has been difficult for Antonio to process. Three weeks ago, he visited the wreckage of his Ferrari, an experience he described as unsettling. “It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It was difficult to see.”

He has also opened up about the emotional toll the incident has taken. “Since the car crash, I’ve been more emotional than I’ve ever been in my life. It’s made me have an easier and happier life because all that stuff I kept pushing down, it’s actually letting it out.”

Above all, Antonio is grateful to still be here for his family. “I almost wasn’t there for [my six children]. That was the most difficult part for me. I’ve got another chance at life. For now, anyway, I’m staying far away from sports cars.”

Commitment to a Comeback

Despite speculation at the time of the crash, Antonio has firmly denied any involvement of drugs or alcohol. “That [speculation] is just part of human nature. I was literally on my way home from training, so there was no way or no space for me to have any drink or any drugs. I’ve never taken drugs in my life anyway, and I’ve said it live on TV that I like a drink, but in this situation there was no drugs or drink. That’s been ruled out, confirmed, by the police.”

Returning to West Ham United’s training ground was initially a challenge. “I was avoiding going back. I was slightly embarrassed by the crash, by the accident. I didn’t really want to be seen.”

Having long been an advocate for mental health awareness, Antonio spoke about the benefits of therapy, something he engaged with even before the crash. “If I could change the world, the one thing I would do: I would implement therapy on every individual in the world at certain parts of their life—[at ages] 10, 16, 21, 30—because everyone is going through certain things. Being able to understand your life just helps people. I also think it would help the suicide rate.”

His biggest challenge now is patience, particularly with a new manager at West Ham United, Graham Potter, stepping in. “It was something that I definitely had to bring up in therapy. That’s the opportunity to show [the manager] what you can do. It took me a couple of weeks before I realised that it doesn’t matter. If I try to rush myself back when I’m not physically right, it puts me in a bad state.”

But despite everything, Antonio is clear in his determination to return to the pitch. “I am 100 per cent [sure] I’ll be back on the pitch. This is what I’m focused on, and this is why I’m in six days a week. Mentally, I believe so too, because I never give up. I always push myself. This is just another setback and it’s not going to stop me.”