Michail Antonio of West Ham United claps the fans during the Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Newcastle United FC at London Stadium on March 10, 2025 in London, England.
Michail Antonio. Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty
Roughly four months after a near-fatal car crash, English Premier League star Michail Antonio has vowed to return to the sport he once dominated.
Antonio, 34, broke his femur in four different places and required a surgically placed metal rod in his right leg in order to heal and walk again, the West Ham forward told BBC’s Morning Live on Monday, March 17. But despite what Antonio described as a near-fatal car crash last December, he has vowed to return to the field and continue his storied career.
“Yes, 100%. I will play again," Antonio, who holds West Ham’s Premier League goal scoring record, told BBC. "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 reported at the time that Essex firefighters had to rescue Antonio from the wreckage, pulling the West Ham star out of his car and rushing him to the hospital.
British Soccer Player Michail Antonio Rescued from Wrecked Car Following Crash
West Ham United's Michail Antonio during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Tuesday December 3, 2024.
West Ham United's Michail Antonio during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Tuesday December 3, 2024.
Soccer fans didn’t wonder about his return, but rather whether Antonio was alive after photos of the car wreck were shared on social media in early December, showing the father of six’s Ferrari crumpled after colliding with a tree. Antonio told BBC this week that he only had the car for three weeks and “didn’t feel safe” driving it, especially the day of the crash, when forecasters warned locals about an incoming storm.
Antonio, who helped lead West Ham to the 2023 Europa Conference League championship, told the news outlet that he was shook after visiting the wreckage at a scrapyard recently, seeing firsthand how “horrendous” the car crash was that day.
"It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach,” Antonio said. “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."
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The soccer star told BBC the “most difficult part” of dealing with the crash has been realizing that he “almost wasn’t there” any longer for his children.
"It's just made me happy, positive about life, because I've got another chance at life,” Antonio said.
And now that he has another chance at life, Antonio told BBC it means he has another chance at playing again. “The goal is to be back scoring goals,” Antonio said.