Michail Antonio is set to make his first club appearance in 15 months after signing a short-term deal with Qatari side Al-Sailiya.
The 35-year-old striker’s career was nearly ended by a horrific car crash in December 2024 that left him with a shattered femur, an injury that required him to essentially relearn how to walk and run.
Despite being West Ham’s all-time Premier League top scorer, Antonio revealed that owners of English clubs were wary of signing him without a trial, forcing him to “swallow his ego” to prove his fitness.
The road to recovery was marked by significant mental and physical hurdles, including failed moves to Brentford and Leicester City due to late-stage injury setbacks.
These “knockbacks” led the Jamaica international to seek therapy to process the trauma of the accident and his subsequent exit from West Ham under then-manager Graham Potter.
Antonio admits that while he initially balked at the idea of training to earn a contract, he eventually realized he had to prove himself from scratch to get back onto a professional pitch.
Ultimately, a recommendation from Jamaica teammate Mason Holgate paved the way for the move to the Qatar Stars League.
Although a deal with Charlton Athletic was nearly finalized, Antonio chose Al-Sailiya to prioritize his match sharpness ahead of Jamaica’s World Cup play-offs in March.
Now describing himself as feeling like a “schoolboy again,” the veteran forward is focused on a successful two-month stint to prove he still possesses the elite qualities that defined his decade in the Premier League.
