Michail Antonio’s fortunes appear have mirrored West Ham’s – from the highs of trophy winners just a couple of years ago to the despair of being the football equivalent of a virtual basket cases today shows the speed with which the twists and turns of life can be almost overwhelming.
For Antonio, post Ferrari crash, it seems the toughest part has not even been the rehabilitation. Pushing himself probably like never before, West Ham’s record goal scorer incredibly made it back onto the pitch six months after the crash that almost took his life and left him with a steel rod fixing his broken thigh bone.
As revealed in a frank bbc.co.uk article, he reveals that the ‘mending’ and getting fit again was only half the battle.
“The hardest part wasn’t the recovery. It was the knockbacks for me…
When I found out I’d torn my calf the day before signing for Brentford, I laid in bed for two days.
“First day, I was just crying. The second day, I just didn’t want to get out of bed. I thought ‘I’m back where I want to be, I’m back in the Premier League’. And then it happened again with Leicester.”
“I was meant to return to Leicester but they didn’t want me back in because they didn’t want a relapse on their books”
What is clear is that Antonio, now 35, stubbornly refuses to hang up his boots having fought so hard for fitness.
He’s now headed to Qatar- decidedly risky just at present – rather than taking a pay-per-play deal with Charlton – which in hindsight is a career choice he might come to regret.
BBC again: “Despite a deal with Charlton being “basically done”, according to the ex-Hammers forward, he was soon persuaded to make the switch.
“Antonio says his move to Qatar only came about last Monday following a call from Jamaica team-mate Mason Holgate, who plays for Al-Sailiya.”
Which just at the moment might spell more trouble ahead for West Ham’s record Premier League goal scorer and former number nine.
In some ways it is sad. He’s never been short of confidence but does he really expects to return and make a useful impact as a professional. After his injuries will the stress of training and games cause him longer term issues? It’ll be a few years but then he’ll be in tabloids having no money left.
Love playing football? Or love the money?
If it was the football, Michail Antonio should have taken the opportunity to join West Ham on the short term pay per play deal that he was offered. It might not have been as lucrative as Callum Wilson’s deal but it would have given him the surroundings and chances to establish his worth.
Had it turned out that he was not up to this level any longer then he would have been able to get a similar contract at somewhere more appropriate. If he did not fancy playing for Southend then perhaps the serious football career was finished.
If it is about the money, then Michail is obviously doing the right thing. Get the millions for being on holiday somewhere hot. Qatar could be ideal for that at the moment.
Forget the West Ham ambassador touch later on though. Fans will be less than impressed with tales of how he wasted his wealth.
A sad end. It could have been so much better.
As soon as he was not interested in playing for Charlton, he should have no more use of any Charlton facilities or coaches