Why is he convinced he can ‘still do a job’ for West Ham

Michail Antonio is convinced that “he can still work” for West Ham after his terrible car accident that makes him “close to dying.”

Antonio’s Ferrari went out of the way to Epping Forest last December, and they quickly shared pictures of a crumpled car on social networks.

The 34-year-old spent three weeks in a hospital with a poorly broken leg, but is unwavering that he will play again while continuing to work on his recovery.

“It just made me happy, positive in my life, because I have another opportunity in my life.” ❤️

Michail Antonio talked @BBCMorninglive think about his almost fatal car accident in December. pic.twitter.com/wljlc6deq3

– BBC Sport (@bbcSport) March 17, 2025

“I work six days a week,” he told the BBC. “I’ve always been positive from this situation. It’s a terrible accident and it’s a big injury.

“It’s the biggest injury I’ve ever had in my career. But the fact that I’m two to three months in front of where I should be, I know I’m going to play again, and I know that once I play the game I will return the sharpness.

“I was one of the fastest in West Ham. So my body was not the body of a 34-year-old before I had an accident anyway. I can still be sharp and still do a job.

“People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something I have always believed in, and this is just another failure, and it won’t stop me.”

Antonio inserted a pole into a thigh

Antonio revealed the severity of the injury he suffered, adding: “I broke my femur bone into four different places.

“I had a single key surgery. They put a pillar in my thigh with four screws, so the screws and screws were knocked together.

“My first surgeon said he didn’t want to put any weight on my leg for three months, which is about now, and you can see me walking.

“We got another expert who said I had to start putting weight, increasing with 10% to 100% within three weeks.

“But I kept my crutches for two more weeks. All in all, they say it will take between six and 12 months before my leg starts proper healing.”

Fear not to see children grow up

Antonio has six children and admitted that the greatest fear he had in immediately after that was the thought that he did not see them grow up.

“The hardest part is that I was almost not there for my children,” Antonio said. “It just made me happy, positive in my life, because I have another opportunity in my life.

“During this, we kept him away from the children. My oldest saw it, and he fought with it. He is 13 years old, and obviously people showed photos of the car.

“That’s how he came down and saw me in the hospital. But younger, they never really knew how bad the situation was. We somehow avoided let them find themselves on the internet.”