West Ham striker Michail Antonio was seriously injured in a car accident in December. Now he talks about the crash in detail for the first time. And he clears up a rumor.
17.03.2025, 20:30
18.03.2025, 14:22
dpa
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- Michail Antonio had a serious traffic accident in December and was seriously injured.
- In an interview, the West Ham pro spoke about his condition and his work on his comeback.
- Recently, Antonio looked at the wreckage of the car again for the first time. "I had a funny feeling in my stomach. That's when I realized how close I was to death," he said.
A good three months after his serious traffic accident, professional footballer Michail Antonio has spoken for the first time about how close he came to losing his life. "I nearly died," said the West Ham United striker in an interview with the BBC. The 34-year-old crashed his Ferrari into a tree at the beginning of December and broke his thigh in four different places, among other injuries.
The Jamaican international had to stay in hospital for more than three weeks. Now the striker is fighting for a comeback. He is optimistic that he will be able to play again, he said. He is ahead of schedule in his rehab - but Antonio did not give a date for his return to training. "I'm in a good state right now, mentally as well," said the London Premier League club player. "I'm just happy because I've been given a second chance at life."
Antonio: No drugs and no alcohol
At the same time, he countered speculation that he may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the crash. "I have never taken drugs in my life," he said. And he hadn't been drinking alcohol that day either.
He had actually wanted to take a different car to get to training, he added. But because he was "too lazy" to take a few bags out of that car - which his wife asked him to do - he took the sports car. He then crashed it into a tree in the middle of a storm. He can no longer remember the rescue operations and other scenes that day.
Three weeks ago, Antonio looked at the wreckage of the car again for the first time. "I had a strange feeling in my stomach. That's when I realized how close I was to death," said West Ham's record Premier League goalscorer. "I had seen the pictures, but in reality it was ten times worse. The car was absolutely wrecked. It was hard for me."
"Sports cars are not my friends"
The father of six reported that he has been more emotional since the accident than before. "But this feels better." Although he had always been a fan of fast cars, he announced that he would avoid such vehicles in future after his second accident with a sports car. "I can't deny it: sports cars are not my friends."
