Tribal Football

West Ham's Antonio opens up on his horror car crash: I almost wasn't there for my children

Zack Oaten
West Ham's Antonio opens up on his horror car crash: I almost wasn't there for my children
West Ham's Antonio opens up on his horror car crash: I almost wasn't there for my children ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Elli Birch
West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has opened up about his nightmare crash which could have ended his life at the end of last year.

The first pictures of his wrecked Ferrari revealed in early December, were shared on social media and left people questioning whether Antonio was still alive. The 34-year-old spent more than three weeks in hospital recovering having shattered his femur in four different places and has now given an emotional interview about the shocking event. 

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"The most difficult part is that I almost wasn't there for my children," Antonio told the BBC. "It's just made me happy, and positive about life, because I've got another chance at life. 

"During this, we kept it away from the kids. My eldest saw it, and he struggled with it. He's 13, and obviously, people were showing photos of the car. So he came down and saw me in the hospital. 

"But the younger ones, they never really knew how bad the situation was. We kind of avoided letting them get on the internet." 

The 34-year-old said he remembers “nothing” from the crash and spoke more on the moments leading up to it when he did not feel safe driving the car. 

"The back of the car kept swinging out on me, so I didn't feel safe," he says. "I had had it for three weeks and I was already thinking about giving it back." 

 "It's weird, because the whole way through this, I have been told that I was awake and was speaking to everybody - the police, the people, and the person who found me. My leg was completely shattered and they got me out and put a splint on it by the side of the car. 

 "Everyone believed I got an air ambulance out, but the helicopter couldn't get off the ground because of the storm, so I was driven to the hospital." 

"It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It just made me realize how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me." 

He also vowed to return to football and stated that he would play again after many worried he would never step on the pitch again. 

"Yes, 100%. I will play again," he said. "It's the biggest injury I've ever had in my career. But the fact that I'm already two to three months ahead of where I should be, I know that I'll play again, and I know that once I'm playing the game I'll get the sharpness back. 

"People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something that I've always believed in and this is just another setback, and it is not going to stop me."