Michail Antonio has secured a move to Qatari outfit Al-Sailiya on a short-term contract, marking his return to club football after 15 months away from the game.
The 35-year-old former West Ham striker suffered multiple leg fractures when his Ferrari crashed into a tree in Epping Forest during Storm Darragh in December 2024, shattering his femur in four places.
Since the near-fatal accident, Antonio’s only competitive appearances came with Jamaica’s national team, where he featured three times as a substitute in June.
The veteran forward told BBC Sport he “feels like a schoolboy again” ahead of his debut in the Qatar Stars League, with Al-Sailiya scheduled to face Al-Arabi on Saturday.
Antonio departed West Ham in August after 323 appearances, holding the record as their all-time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals.
Despite his decade of Premier League experience, Antonio discovered that English club owners were unwilling to take a chance on him following the accident.
He said: “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.”
The striker revealed that every manager who watched him train offered him a contract, yet the deals repeatedly fell through at boardroom level.
Michail Antonio has secured a move to Qatari outfit Al-Sailiya on a short-term contract
|GETTY
Initially, Antonio resisted the idea of proving himself through trials.
He explained: “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.”
However, clubs insisted he demonstrate his fitness first, and Antonio eventually accepted this reality.
He said: “I had to swallow my ego – that’s how I ended up at Brentford. I trained with them for two weeks.”
Michail Antonio underwent surgery after a horror car crash | ReutersJust as a Premier League return seemed within reach, disaster struck again.
Antonio tore his calf the day before he was due to sign for the Bees.
He recalled: “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.”
Leicester City then showed interest, but the Foxes withdrew from negotiations over concerns about a potential injury relapse appearing on their records.
Antonio subsequently trained alone for a week before linking up with Charlton Athletic.
Michail Antonio will be hoping to get to the World Cup with Jamaica still in contention through March’s play-offs
| GETTYThe opportunity in Qatar materialised just last Monday through an unexpected connection.
Jamaica teammate Mason Holgate, who plays for Al-Sailiya, was asked by manager Mirghani Al Zain whether he knew any available forwards following an injury to their first-choice striker.
Holgate immediately thought of Antonio, and despite a deal with Charlton being “basically done” according to the forward, he was persuaded to head to the Middle East instead.
The two-month contract allows Antonio to reassess his options when summer arrives, with Jamaica still in contention for World Cup qualification through March’s play-offs.
He said: “Whatever happens in the summer, happens. I need to focus on the first goal, playing games and being fit. If I stay fit, I’ll perform and score goals.”