Antonio suffered severe leg fractures in a December 2024 car crash
English clubs refused to sign him without him first training to prove fitness
He had to 'swallow his ego' and train with Brentford before deals fell through
He chose Qatar over Charlton Athletic for better fitness prospects
📖 Full Retelling
Former West Ham striker Michail Antonio has joined Qatari side Al-Sailiya after a difficult recovery from a near-fatal car crash in December 2024, revealing that English clubs refused to sign him following the accident that left him with multiple leg fractures. The 35-year-old striker, who became West Ham's all-time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals, had to 'swallow his ego' after being told by clubs that he needed to train first before being offered a contract, despite his decade of top-flight experience and recent international appearances with Jamaica. Antonio shattered his femur in four different places when his Ferrari crashed into a tree during Storm Darragh, an incident he doesn't remember but which left him having to relearn basic movements like walking, running, and jumping. After being rejected by then-West Ham manager Graham Potter and seeing potential moves to Brentford and Leicester City collapse due to injury concerns and club decisions, Antonio found an unexpected opportunity in Qatar through Jamaica teammate Mason Holgate, who recommended him to Al-Sailiya's manager.
🏷️ Themes
Career Comeback, Mental Resilience, Football Business
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gu...
Michail Gregory Antonio (born 28 March 1990) is a professional footballer who last played as a forward for Premier League club West Ham United. Born in England, he plays for the Jamaica national team.
Antonio began his career at non-League club Tooting & Mitcham United before signing with Reading o...
West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located 6.1 mi (9.8 km) east of Charing Cross.
The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, and it later became a County Borough.
Incident when a vehicle collides with another object
A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, ...
'Clubs refused to look at me after my crash' - Antonio on Qatar move By Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter Published 45 minutes ago 74 Comments Michail Antonio says he had to "swallow his ego" after his near‑fatal car crash as he prepares to make his first club appearance in 15 months. The 35-year-old striker, who has joined Qatari side Al‑Sailiya, says owners of English clubs were wary of signing him following his accident in December 2024, which left him with multiple leg fractures. He returned to competitive action with the Jamaica national team with three substitute appearances in June - his only football since the crash. But Antonio told BBC Sport he "feels like a schoolboy again" as he looks to prove his fitness during his spell in the Qatar Stars League. Antonio says he still has "so much love" for West Ham , for whom he played 323 games and became their all‑time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals, but was disappointed he did not get the chance of even a final substitute appearance in a home friendly. He says he ultimately was not wanted by then‑manager Graham Potter and describes his exit in August as "a hard pill to take". "I've still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years," said Antonio. "It shows, because every single manager was putting a contract in front of me once I trained with them. "But there were managers and clubs who refused to look at me because of what happened - the accident, the injury. Some owners went against it. In football, the manager can want you, but it's the owner's money. "My agent kept calling clubs, and the same thing happened - clubs wanted me to train first. With the ego I had, I said 'I'm not coming to train. You've seen me play with Jamaica, you've seen my past 10 years. I shouldn't have to train to get a contract.' Clubs said 'if you don't train, we won't sign you'. "After staying at West Ham , training with the under-21s and going away with Jamaica again, my agent said 'you're going to have t...
