Michail Antonio is a marvel and testament for many that hard work pays off – after overcoming personal toll in recent years, his extraordinary story has taught us that very little can stand in his way after car accident

One of West Ham‘s biggest stars Michail Antonio was involved in a serious road accident on Saturday and is now being treated in hospital, with well-wishes pouring in from the football community. .

In a short statement on Saturday evening, West Ham confirmed the news, with images emerging of a smashed silver Ferrari believed to have been in the Essex area earlier in the day. 

In one image, the majority of the front right of the car could be seen almost ripped away from the rest of the vehicle. 

However the club did not confirm what – if any – injuries had been sustained by the player, who was ‘conscious and communicating’ not long after, in what was hugely encouraging news for those close to the player.

Fans and clubs from across the game rushed to social media to send their love to Antonio and those closest to him in the aftermath of his accident, with former team-mate Jobi McAnuff leading the way as the world gathered to lend its support. 

Antonio is in his own right a marvel and stands as testament for many that hard work always pays off, having forced his way up the English football pyramid from Non-League Tooting and Mitcham to West Ham in just seven years. 

Photos have emerged of a smashed Ferrari, reportedly showing the aftermath of the crash

Another image appears to show the Premier League star’s smashed up vehicle

Born in Wandsworth to Jamaican parents, Antonio played semi-professional football for Tooting and Mitcham from 17, and could likely not have predicted the rise he would have through the game.  

A versatile and physically powerful player, Antonio spent time at Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest before joining the Hammers in 2015, initially as a full back and right winger before forging his own path to the No 9 jersey. 

That positional switch is one that has served both player and club well, with Antonio the Hammers’ record Premier League goal scorer with 68 – 21 clear of second-placed club legend Mark Noble at the top of the charts. 

His perseverance and resilience has made him a much-loved figure at the club, earning him the side’s annual Hammer of the Year award back in 2017, but he has had to overcome setbacks off the field along the way. 

The 34-year-old has four children, and was previously married to Debbie Whittle, who he married in a June 2017 ceremony held at Hoar Cross Hall Hotel in Staffordshire, though the couple are now divorced. 

The separation from his former partner took a toll on the forward, who revealed earlier in 2024 that he had begun therapy amid a tough period in his career when he openly admitted to falling out of love with football. 

The striker confessed that he had ‘just started disliking the game’ amid a period of extreme fatigue, brought on by events away from football, and that during a time which should have been one of his happiest – winning the Europa Conference League with West Ham last year – he was severely ‘mentally drained’.

‘I was going through my divorce and stuff, and I honestly couldn’t get my head around it,’ Antonio shared on the High Performance podcast. ‘After we won, the whole team went out, the gaffer (David Moyes) went out, got steaming, a couple of boys didn’t sleep for two days, just got drunk for two days.

Antonio bravely shared details on his mental health and undergoing therapy earlier this year

The forward struggled with the mental strain of issues in his personal life intersecting with the sport

Antonio has played his way up the football ladder with spells at clubs across the Football League

Antonio had a spell at Sheffield Wednesday back in 2012 while on loan from parent club Reading

He was part of the Southampton side that won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2010 along with Adam Lallana (second left) and Ricky Lambert (right)

‘I was asleep on the coach and went back to the hotel. I was just mentally drained because of everything that was going on outside of my football and then I went back to the hotel and went to sleep while everyone was out partying.’

‘It wasn’t until probably December where I was in a better place where I was like “Oh my God, I’ve won a European championship”.’

He noted during one game in December 2022 that he could not stop thinking ‘I’m not enjoying football.

‘During the game, I was like, “I’m really not enjoying this”. I just felt quite negative. I’m a very positive person myself.

‘I didn’t score from December until I think it was March, April time. And I just felt run-down. And then I went away with Jamaica because I was enjoying football with Jamaica for some strange reason. But I actually prayed for an injury.

‘I was like, “I just want to get injured, I want some time off”.

‘And then I went away with Jamaica and I did my medial (knee ligament, in November 2023).

‘I was thinking to myself, “I’m 33. I can’t afford to be performing this way, otherwise I’m not going to get another contract”.

The 34-year-old revealed that it took nearly six months for it to sink in that he had won the Europa Conference League

Antonio has become one of Jamaica’s biggest stars and has 21 caps for the Reggae Boyz 

‘So, it’s all those things that spiral through your mind. You’re thinking, “Is this the end for me? Is this my football career over?”‘

After first seeking support in December 2022, Antonio met with a number of therapists after initially turning to his club’s doctors and the PFA before ultimately deciding to take the next step independently.

Antonio cited the gruelling club and international demands on players’ schedules as contributing to his feelings about football, adding that: ‘Because football’s just constant, you’re constantly just in it.’

After initially rejecting their advances with ambitions to play for England, Antonio finally declared for Jamaica in 2021, and has since gone on to make 21 appearances and score five times for his country. 

One of those goals in particular perhaps stands out from the rest; his strike in Jamaica’s 3-1 defeat by Ecuador in June was the first his country had ever scored in a Copa America tournament. 

Antonio is one of his side’s standout names, with Leon Bailey, Isaac Hayden and Ethan Pinnock also regular stars for the Reggae Boyz out of the Premier League. 

Given his importance to his side, Steve McLaren and Co will be hopeful that Antonio can recover in time to help guide them to what would be a sensational World Cup qualification, having only reached the finals once back in 1998.

Antonio has spent his career defying expectations and conventions; much like the legendary story of Jamie Vardy, Antonio simply refused to let go of his ambitions and dreams to play in the Premier League. 

After establishing himself as one of the senior heads in the West Ham dressing room, and counting himself as one of the leading stars for his country, you might argue that Antonio has already achieved more than he might have hoped to as a teenager playing for Tooting and Mitcham. 

It is unclear as yet what injuries the player has been left with following his accident on Saturday, with the club indicating another update would be forthcoming ‘in due course’ though if there’s anything his extraordinary story so far has taught us, it is that very little can stand in his way.