When Michail Antonio turned out for Jamaica as a late substitute in a Gold Cup game against Guatemala in June, 2025, it capped a remarkable comeback for the striker.
Just six months earlier, Antonio had suffered horrific injuries in a car crash that had not just put his career in doubt, but also his life.
A lower limb fracture had kept him in hospital for most of December, with his injuries expected to keep him out of action for at least a year. But the former West Ham striker’s determination was able to fuel this stunning return to action.
Michail Antonio on coming back from injury
“I have no memory of it,” Antonio tells FourFourTwo when asked what he remembers about the crash. “I only know what I’ve been told about it, that I got found by a dog walker and the first responders who got there said I was in the back of the car.
“I was awake, but one leg was a quarter smaller than the other because it was completely shattered and raised up.
“Luckily they were able to take me to the Royal London Hospital, where they specialise in emergency surgeries – one of the best surgeons operated on my leg and that’s one of the reasons why I was able to play again.
“It doesn’t feel like I lived the crash though – I don’t remember any pain. As much as I was the one who was in the accident, it was my family who actually lived it, who were sent the photos of the accident, who had to rush to the hospital to see me and speak to the doctors to find out how I was.
“I don’t remember any of that. Later, when I went to see the car and the condition it was in, that hit me right in the gut.
“It made me emotional and believe that, honestly, I could have not been here today.”
Antonio’s contract with West Ham expired at the end of June 2025, but the club continued to support him in his rehabilitation, with his remarkable return to action coming when he came off the bench for Jamaica as an 85th-minute substitute against Guatemala on June 17, just six months after the accident.
“It was amazing, I absolutely loved it,” Antonio recalls.
“I actually shocked myself with how fast I was able to do it, and I was lucky to do it that quickly because West Ham didn’t give me a new contract, so I needed to prove to people that I was able to get back out onto the field.
“I’m extremely grateful to God for giving me that opportunity.”