Michail Antonio signs with new club 15 months after near-fatal car crash | OneFootball

Former West Ham striker makes return to club football after failed talks with Brentford, Leicester and Charlton Athletic

Michail Antonio has signed with Qatari side Al-Sailiya, making his return to club football 15 months after escaping a near-fatal car accident.

The 35-year-old came away from the smash in Epping Forest with four fractures to his femur, which left him hospitalised for three weeks.

West Ham decided against offering him a new contract at the start of this season, and he has since trained with both Brentford and Leicester, failing to land a deal with either. Contract talks with Charlton Athletic also proved fruitless.

Antonio has appeared three times off the bench for Jamaica since his accident, but will make his long-awaited return to club football with Doha-based club Al‑Sailiya, five-time champions of the Qatari Second Division and two-time Qatari Stars Cup winners.

Among his new team-mates are former Aston Villa, Everton and Cardiff City star Anwar El Ghazi, as well as another former Toffee in Mason Holgate.

Speaking after signing, Antonio said he had to ‘swallow his ego’ in the search for a club which would be happy to take him on after his injury.

Michail Antonio’s last senior appearance at club level came against Leicester in December 2024

Getty Images

He told BBC Sport: "I've still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years. 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.

"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 - that's how I ended up at Brentford. I trained with them for two weeks."

He added that setbacks in his recovery prevented him from signing with both Brentford and Leicester.

Antonio went on: "When I found out I'd torn my calf the day before signing for Brentford, I laid in bed for two days.

"First day, I was just crying. The second day, I just didn't want to get out of bed. I thought 'I'm back where I want to be, I'm back in the Premier League'.”

In a post on his Instagram, Antonio added that he was praying for peace in the Middle East. Qatar has been affected by the conflict which has followed missile strikes from the United States and Israel on Iran.

He wrote: “First and foremost, I’m praying that God brings peace to the whole region and around the world and keeps everyone safe.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to step back onto the pitch when the time is right and do what I love.”

Al-Sailiya presently sit tenth out of 12 teams in the Qatar Stars League, with 15 points from 16 matches.

It is not clear when Antonio could make his debut for the side, nicknamed the Peregrines, whose next two matches against Al Arabi and Al-Duhail have been postponed.