Michail Antonio still having to prove himself after nine years at West Ham
Michail Antonio has seen a glut of strikers come and go in his nine years at West Ham.
Simone Zaza, Sebastian Haller and Gianluca Scimacca are just three of the 10 players the Jamaica international’s club managers have fancied to do a better job. But Antonio has seen off all-comers and, in doing so, has helped West Ham to repeated European qualification, European glory and, when required, Premier League safety in recent seasons.
So it’s no wonder the 33-year-old will lead the line against Aston Villa today as the Hammers look to build on another good start to the season. Antonio said: “I didn’t set out to be a striker, I didn’t set out to be here for nine years.
“It was just one of those things where I came here to set my ground in the Premier League and show what I could do, what I did in the Championship and League One, and it has been a crazy, rollercoaster ride. There has been only one transfer window where I haven’t been linked away. Every single year, I have had to prove myself again.
“Every single year, either a different manager has come in or the manager I had the year before was looking to bring someone in. I’m not the prettiest footballer but I know who I am and I understand that.If I’m not scoring goals, I’m assisting goals. If I’m not assisting goals, I’m helping to create space for other players. So it is the all-round package I bring and it’s what people are struggling to find right now.”
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That fight has been within him since his days in non-League football. He added: “The amount of knock-backs I got when I was at Tooting & Mitcham… I went to Brentford and scored a goal and got an assist in the other game, they told me I’m a good player but they were going to keep an eye on me.
“I went to QPR, six weeks I was there, I won every fitness test they did for me, then they came to me and said, ‘This game is where we are going to sign you or not’. I scored one and assisted one, and they said, ‘You didn’t put enough crosses in’. I had to go back to Tooting & Mitcham, they saw my qualities and tried to make me sign a contract. I refused to sign a contract.
“I went to AFC Wimbledon, they refused to pay £7 for my registration fee. So I went back to Tooting & Mitcham, signed the contract, and within seven games I’d signed for Reading. It has made me a better player and it’s why I have been here for so long, because I have constantly had to prove myself.”
Like Jamie Vardy and, before him, Ian Wright, Antonio’s hero, the Hammers star is an inspiration to youngsters trying to climb through the ranks the hard way. He said: “I get kids from all races, all cultures coming up to me and saying, ‘I love your story’. “Someone came up to me the other day who was 21 asking ‘is it too late?’ “I said, “It's never too late’. “I’ve just always believed that if you're doing the right things, anything can happen for you.”
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