This is not the start Michail Antonio had in mind when the West Ham United icon left European football for a fresh start in Qatar with Al Sailiya.
The 2023 Conference League winner moved to the Middle East last month despite interest from Charlton Athletic.
Michail Antonio’s first appearance as an Al Sailiya player was initially delayed as the Qatar Stars League was briefly postponed in the wake of conflict in the region. West Ham United’s record Premier League marksman would finally take to the field, though, when Al-Duhail SC arrived at the Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium over the weekend.
A 4-0 home defeat, and a debut yellow card, means the only way is up from here.
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Michail Antonio during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Fulham FC at London Stadium
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio loses 4-0 on Al Sailiya debut
Antonio played 73 minutes as Al-Duhail ran riot. This was his first league outing since Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham lost 3-1 at Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City in December 2024, coming just days before the car crash which brought a premature end to a fine Hammers career.
Now, as West Ham frustrate Manchester City to keep their hopes of a ‘Great Escape’ alive, Antonio arrives at an Al Sailiya outfit also facing the drop. His new employers are rock bottom of a 12-team Qatar Stars League table.
Michail Antonio working as a pundit for TNT Sports during Luton vs Forest Green in the FA Cup.
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Speaking to the local press after ending his 15-month wait for a return to the club scene, Antonio admitted that Jamaica teammate and ex-Everton defender Mason Holgate played a key role in his decision to join a team in trouble.
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Also among his new teammates is Anwar El-Ghazi, the former Aston Villa winger.
Antonio opens up on failed Brentford and Leicester City moves
While dodging questions about Qatar’s human rights record in an interview with BBC Sport, Antonio insisted that he did not join Al Sailiya for the money. The motivation, he insists, is silencing those who thought he had little left to offer.
“I’ve still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years,” he argues. “It shows, because every single manager was putting a contract in front of me once I trained with them.
“But there were managers and clubs who refused to look at me because of what happened – the accident, the injury. Some owners went against it. In football, the manager can want you, but it’s the owner’s money.”
Portsmouth turned down the chance to sign Antonio. A brief trial with Leicester City was ruined by an injury setback, while Brentford opted against the West Ham icon too.
“My agent kept calling clubs, and the same thing happened; clubs wanted me to train first. With the ego I had, I said ‘I’m not coming to train. You’ve seen me play with Jamaica, you’ve seen my past 10 years. I shouldn’t have to train to get a contract’,” said Antonio, clearly feeling he had nothing to prove despite the understandable concerns of those who wondered if he could bounce back after so long out.
“Clubs said, ‘if you don’t train, we won’t sign you’.
“After staying at West Ham, training with the under-21s and going away with Jamaica again, my agent said ‘you’re going to have to train, prove your fitness.’
“I had to swallow my ego.”
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