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“I was close to dying” – West Ham’s Michail Antonio speaks for first time since car crash

“I was close to dying” – West Ham’s Michail Antonio speaks for the first time since his car crash in early December 2024.

His Ferrari struck a tree in Epping Forest on a stormy Saturday in early December, and quickly went viral on on social media and left people questioning whether Antonio was still alive.

In his first public statement since the incident, he reflected on the life-threatening crash that left his Ferrari crumpled, suffered a broken leg and was hospitalised for over three weeks, undergoing surgery for a lower limb fracture.

Despite not recalling the crash itself – though he was reportedly conscious and communicating with responders – he described being found by police between the car seats, likely attempting to escape through a window before pain from his shattered leg halted him.

Antonio’s reflections highlight a newfound appreciation for life, crediting therapy for helping him process the emotional aftermath, and admitted to feeling embarrassed about the crash’s severity but remains determined to return to football.

“The police came and when they found me I was in between the two seats. I wasn’t in the driver’s seat. They said it looked like I was trying to climb out of the window, but because my leg was so badly broken the pain stopped me from being able to get out.”

It was on the 7th of December, West Ham in training for the game against Wolves which was in two days time.

He said the weather “was windy, wet and horrific” with Met Office issuing warnings for Storm Darragh.

Antonio recalled feeling “lazy” when his partner asked him to retrieve some bags from their other car before he set off, so instead he took his Ferrari – which he said he had doubts about.

“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 was a decision that changed everything, but when asked what he remembers about the crash itself – which occurred on his way home – his answer is “nothing”.

“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,” he says.

“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.”

Antonio went to see what was left of his car at the scrapyard three weeks ago.

“It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It just made me realise 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.”

“The most difficult part is that I almost wasn’t there for my children,” Antonio says. “It’s just made me happy, 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.”

Antonio confessed he he’ll be taking a break from driving any fast cars.

“I’ve always been a fan and friend of sports cars and old classics, but I can’t lie to you, sports cars are not my friends,” he says.

“So right now, I have a Mercedes people carrier and my brother is my driver. For now, anyway, I’m staying far away from sports cars.”

His first memory following the crash came on the Sunday when he was being spoken to by a worried friend – a long-time agent Mike Appiason.

Then on Monday, Michail then posted online with a supportive message to his team-mates before their win over Wolves.

“I shattered my femur bone in four different places,” he says. “I had one single keyhole surgery. They put a pole in my thigh with four bolts, so screws and bolts to knit it back together.

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

“We got a second specialist who said I needed to start putting weight on it, increasing from 10% up to 100% within three weeks.

“But I kept my crutches for a further two weeks. Overall, they say it will be between six to 12 months before my leg starts healing properly.”

Antonio then addressed speculation on social media claiming that he had either been drinking or taken drugs.

“I was travelling back from training and, anyway, I’ve never taken drugs in my life. I’ve said I like a drink. But in this situation, there were no drugs, there was no drink. That’s been ruled out and confirmed by the police.”

He said he had therapy to help him deal with the death of his father and break-up of his previous marriage, during West Ham’s UEFA Conference League win in 2023.

After being questioned on how he would have reacted to the crash if it weren’t for the help of therapy: “I wouldn’t have processed it at all, or what I would have done would be to push it down and been angry or aggressive.

“Since the crash, I’ve been more emotional than I have ever been in my life, but I feel like it’s better. Therapy is one of the best things that’s happened to me in my life.”

On being asked if he can be ‘the Antonio of before’? “Yes, 100%. I will play again.”

But just two weeks ago, there were slight concerns, with physiotherapists questioning if he had career-ending injury insurance. “I didn’t sleep a wink that night,” he says, with a smile and shake of his head.

It the meantime, he recovers and gets fit again at home and in the gym.

“That’s what I am focused on and why I am working six days a week. I’ve always been positive from this situation. It’s a horrendous accident, and it’s a massive injury,” he says.

“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.

“I was one of the quickest at West Ham. So my body wasn’t the body of a 34-year-old before I had the accident anyway. I can still be sharp and still do the business.

“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.”

Antonio spoke on driving for the first time since crashing: “I don’t remember the trauma so I have no nerves.

“The only problem I have with it right now is every time I get behind the wheel, I worry that even if something small happens, it will be like ‘ah, Michail’s been in a crash again’, and that kind of negativity gets in my mind and gives me a bit of nerves.”

Michai talked about the support he has received, but was worried after Julen Lopetegui, was replaced by Graham Potter.

“That was horrendous for me,” he adds. “I’m not gonna lie, it was one of the hardest things for me, the fact a new manager came in and I wasn’t there to show what I can do, with my contract up at the end of the season.

“It was difficult for me at the time, but the only thing I can focus on is me and making sure I am right.

“One thing I have had to realise is that it doesn’t matter and I can’t rush myself and put myself out there when I am not right because it would make things worse.

“If I rush myself then that will be the reason I didn’t get a contract. As long as I make sure I am right then I know I will have done everything I can.”

West Ham have funded Antonio’s rehabilitation, a trip out to Dubai that involved physio, rest, recovery and meditation, and organised charity initiatives to raise funds for the emergency services involved in rescuing him from the crash, with the shirts all the players warmed up in being auctioned off.

“The love feels good,” he continues. “When I got into football, I did it as a hobby and didn’t support any clubs.

“Now I am definitely a West Ham fan. What the club did for me, the support they gave me on and off the field, the hospitals and the specialists, was unbelievable. I thank the club, the fans, the emergency services, the people around me.

“I like that people care enough to come and ask me the question, so I don’t mind repeating it 1,000 times. The goal is to be back scoring goals.”

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