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Michail Antonio: Ex-West Ham forward on move to Qatar side Al‑Sailiya

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Michail Antonio says he had to “swallow his ego” after his near‑fatal car crash as he prepares to make his first club appearance in 15 months.

The 35-year-old striker, who has joined Qatari side Al‑Sailiya, says owners of English clubs were wary of signing him following his accident in December 2024, which left him with multiple leg fractures.

He returned to competitive action with the Jamaica national team with three substitute appearances in June – his only football since the crash.

But Antonio told BBC Sport he “feels like a schoolboy again” as he looks to prove his fitness during a two‑month spell in the Qatar Stars League, with Al-Sailiya facing Al-Arabi on Saturday.

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Antonio says he still has “so much love” for West Ham, for whom he played 323 games and became their all‑time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals, but was disappointed he did not get the chance of even a final substitute appearance in a home friendly.

He says he ultimately was not wanted by then‑manager Graham Potter and describes his exit in August as “a hard pill to take”.

“I’ve still got the qualities I had in the Premier League for the past 10 years,” said Antonio. “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.

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“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.’ Clubs said ‘iIf 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 – that’s how I ended up at Brentford. I trained with them for two weeks.”

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Lakers Legend Byron Scott Hits Back at LeBron James’ 80s vs. Today NBA Claims in Scathing Rebuke

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8 minutes ago

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28 February 2026

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LA Lakers legend Byron Scott clapped back at LeBron James for his comments on playing in different NBA generations. In January, the Lakers’ superstar had claimed that performing in the league now is harder compared to doing it in the 80’s and the 90’s.

Scott was asked for his opinion on James’ comments on Friday’s episode of Power 106 FM’s “Brown Bag Mornings.”

“I don’t think he’s the greatest to ever play, but I’m a big LeBron fan. That was laughable to me,” Scott said. “So you’re saying it’s easier to play in the 80s vs today? The game was so much more physical. You can say the score wasn’t as high, but we had 12-15 teams averaging over 100 PPG.”

“The pace was just as fast as it is today. We played 94 feet. They play 60 feet today because everything is predicated on shooting 3s. You’re not going up and down like we did. As far as physicality, it’s not even close, so I just thought it was laughable coming from one of the greatest to ever play the game.”

James had expressed his opinions on the subject on the Jan. 27 episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast. The Lakers star had placed emphasis on increased injury risks in players because of the way the game is played in the modern era.

“The way we play, the level of pace, the level of the speed that we’re playing at, it’s a different game now. It’s a totally different game,” James said. “There’s a lot of soft tissue injuries that’s happened now because of it. I hope we can get a handle on that as well, because that’s big in our game.”

LeBron James has been in the NBA for more than two decades now. He has played through different times and has seen the league evolve firsthand. The Lakers superstar has grown his game to adjust to the modern trends in the league. He is averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in his 23rd season.

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Byron Scott believes LeBron James should move on from the Lakers

Later in the podcast, Byron Scott was asked if LeBron James should leave LA. The Lakers icon agreed to the notion but clarified that he wanted James to stay in the league.

“I am a fan but I don’t mince words either. I think this should be his last year here,” he said.

According to Spotrac, LeBron James is in his contract’s last year. He will be an unrestricted free agent come the offseason.