An emotional Michail Antonio is presented to West Ham fans at London Stadium
In December, he was involved in horror crash that left him with a broken leg
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By JAMES SHARPE
Published: 17:45 EDT, 10 March 2025 | Updated: 17:46 EDT, 10 March 2025
Michail Antonio puffed out his cheeks and turned to face the huge banner being unfurled across the bottom of the Bobby Moore Stand as his name rang around the London Stadium and the bubbles began to surround him.
Just three months on from the horror car crash that left him with a broken leg and lucky to be alive, West Ham’s record Premier League goal scorer stepped back out on to the pitch for the first time since to feel the adulation of the supporters before his side’s game against Newcastle.
Antonio smiled as he shook the hands of the mascots inside the tunnel before he emerged to take the applause and shared a high-five from Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier and a hug with manager Graham Potter before he disappeared back inside once again.
‘Michail Antonio, our number 9’, read the banner, a display organised by fan group Ironworks Alliance that also showed a picture of Antonio wearing a crown and wrapped in a Jamaican flag.
The chants of ‘Antonio, Antonio’ grew and grew before being drowned out by the music to I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles as the teams emerged before kick-off.
Antonio was only out there for a few minutes and said nothing as he clapped the fans cheering his name but that was remarkable enough for a man many feared dead only a little more than 90 days ago when images began to circulate of his smashed Ferrari against a tree and it emerged he’s been trapped inside it for 45 minutes before being rescued by the emergency services.
Michail Antonio puffs his cheeks as he makes an emotional return to the London Stadium
The West Ham striker is greeted by a raucous reception and chants of 'Antonio, Antonio¿
Antonio shares a hug with manager Graham Potter before he disappeared back inside again
‘Exactly three months ago, we were all willing him on the recover as he lay in a hospital bed and since then he has shown the strength and resilience and character that typifies the man and tonight he is reunited with his West Ham family,’ declared the stadium announcer.
In the television studio, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was wondering whether Antonio might even be back to play before the end of the season.
Three months ago, many wondered whether the 34-year-old would ever kick a ball again.
And yet it’s not out of the realms of possibility. Antonio has just returned from 12 days of warm weather training in Dubai.
He hopes to return to train with his team-mates sometime in the next month or so.
‘Mich’s recovery is moving in the right direction,’ said Hammers boss Graham Potter recently. ‘I wouldn’t be thinking anything (of a potential return) this side of the international break. It’s not a case of rushing it but it’s certainly positive.’
Antonio remains a key part of the Hammers dressing room, in charge of the team’s fines system and was visited frequently by his team-mates while he was in hospital.
Antonio was introduced to the West Ham crowd three months on from his horror car accident
The 34-year-old has just returned from 12 days of warm weather training in Dubai
He even FaceTimed his Hammers team from his hospital bed two days after the accident to give them a pre-match pep talk before their victory against Wolves.
Three months on and Antonio looked visibly emotional as he returned to the London Stadium and you don’t need much of a heart to appreciate why.
‘What impressed was the fact that he recognised the situation, the ordeal and the severity of it and reflected on it in a human way, not a footballer way,’ Potter added recently.
‘When you go through something like that it gives you perspective.’