A 14-year-old Michail Antonio walked around central Moscow in his Chelsea tracksuit pursued by autograph hunters. He was a world away from home, a world away from anything he had known until now.
“We were out there for four days,” says former coach Wilson Frimpong of the youth tournament in Moscow in 2004 that Antonio’s Providence Town were sent out to as part of Chelsea’s work in the community.
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“Michail shone in that tournament and although it was under the umbrella of Chelsea, there wasn’t an avenue for him to go into their academy on trial at that point. I don’t think they thought he was ready for that level.”
For most of Antonio’s team-mates, it was their first time on a plane and it would prove to be an invaluable experience, as former coach Andrew Newell explains.
“The experience was wild and because we walked around Moscow in Chelsea tracksuits, a lot of people would come up to the kids asking for autographs,” he says. “The kids enjoyed it and we stayed in a nice hotel. Michail and this other player wore these white robes and looked like P Diddy and Mase. I remember some guy told us he had a nightclub and he wanted the kids to come one night. He said he would put their names down on the door. Can you imagine? That trip was just hilarious.”
Antonio has come a long way since then. He is now arguably the jewel in West Ham’s crown, one of the most difficult forwards to face in the Premier League and someone called up by two different England managers.
This is the story of Antonio’s journey to West Ham. The Athletic interviewed friends and early coaches to find out how he made his way to the top of the game and what it was that drove him to succeed.
Antonio didn’t have the academy upbringing of so many team-mates. Instead, he honed his skills next to Clapham Junction station in south London before breaking through at non-League side Tooting & Mitcham United.
Lying in the shadow of London’s busy commuter station, Providence House is a youth and community centre that offers a variety of activities for young people, including arts and crafts, football coaching, photography and badminton. Robert Musgrave, who was awarded an MBE in 2011 for services to young people, has volunteered at Providence House since 1973.
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“Michail lived about a mile from us and we had a football coach called Mohammed Abdulla,” Musgrave tells The Athletic. “When Michail was about 11, Mohammed saw him play and got him to come and join us. Our principle was we were a youth and community centre and we wanted to give young kids from disadvantaged areas an opportunity. So I’d like to think we played a big role in Michail’s childhood.”
Childhood friend Liam Burridge also played for Providence Town and attended the same secondary school as Antonio, Southfields Academy. They both pursued a career in football: Antonio would reach the top flight but Burridge broke his ankle in three places during his time at Fulham’s academy and had to go down a different path.
“You know what’s funny, I don’t know where this Michail business came from, his name is Michael,” Burridge deadpans. “Not long ago I said to him, ‘Your name is Michael, it’s not Michail. I don’t know you as Michail.’
“Michael was hilarious in school, but he was emotional when it came to football. If he was taken off, he would get upset; if he did something wrong, he would get upset. So for him, it was evident that he ate, slept and breathed football. If the rest of us were talking about meeting up with girls, all Michael would’ve been focused on was football.
A 14-year-old Antonio (front, left) with the Providence Town squad in Moscow
“When we travelled to Russia, we were so young and it was probably our first time away without our parents. When we got to the airport we were in our Chelsea tracksuits signing autographs, it was crazy. People probably thought, ‘These guys must be the next big-time’. I’ll never forget this time when we were in our hotel and we were told that we weren’t allowed outside of our rooms. But we found out there was a strip club on the third floor. We all tried to sneak out and I remember Michael had on his white robe with only one sock on. But we got caught and we all had to run back to our rooms. That was hilarious.”
“They felt like superstars because they were staying in five-star hotels,” says Frimpong. “That’s when Michail started to take football more seriously. He became aware of what was needed to reach the top.”
Antonio started his career at Tooting & Mitcham juniors at the age of 12 and remained at the club for six years. The forward scored on his debut for the youth team against Carshalton Athletic and made 21 appearances and registered 16 goals during the 2007-08 season. Antonio also scored on his first-team debut in a 3-0 win at Wealdstone in September 2008 and it was not long before scouts travelled to south London to catch a glimpse of the promising young talent.
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“Before Michail joined Reading, I was approached by Chelsea and Arsenal, who attended a game to scout Michail,” says former Tooting & Mitcham chairman Steve Adkins. “When he was at Tooting, you could tell he had something about him. Even at 17, he was special. What I like about Michail is he still comes back to the club and he’s done sessions with our kids. He’s such a likeable guy and carries the flag for non-League players. People throughout football must be proud of what he’s achieved.”
One of the many reasons why Antonio is such a likeable person is that he always looks out for others. When Antonio became established in the first team at Tooting & Mitcham, he told childhood friend Burridge to come down for a trial, who immediately impressed.
“We all felt we were talented but we knew Michael’s hunger was different,” Burridge says. “Our thing was we would get distracted, but that wasn’t the case with Michael. He told me to come along for a trial so before the match started, I took a free kick and it went in the top corner. Michael looked at the coach and the coach looked at Michael and said, ‘If he can do that in the match then I’ll definitely sign him’. Michael went, ‘See, see, I’ve got you, I’ve got you!’”
Antonio signed for Championship club Reading on a two-year deal in October 2008 for an undisclosed fee. He returned to Tooting & Mitcham on loan three months later, playing seven games and scoring six goals, before being recalled to Reading in February 2009 to go out on loan to League One side Cheltenham Town for the remainder of the season.
It was at a reserves game in Kent where Martin Allen, the former West Ham midfielder, first became aware of Antonio’s ability. He needed only 20 minutes to know he wanted him at Cheltenham.
“I watched Reading reserves play Charlton reserves on a Tuesday night,” he says. “After 20 minutes, I left my seat and went across to Steve Coppell in the stands and said, ‘Please can I have that player on loan?’ Steve went, ‘Do you want to call me tomorrow so we can discuss it?’ I said, ‘No, I’ll take him now. I’ve seen enough. He’s that good’. So we were able to get the deal done at half-time. On my way home, Michail phoned me and said he was looking forward to the opportunity at Cheltenham Town.”
Allen probably didn’t realise at that point he would soon become Antonio’s chauffeur, driving him from Cheltenham to Reading to get the train home and once all the way to Wandsworth so Antonio was back for a church celebration with family.
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“I have one special memory with Michail,” he says. “We had a home game and at the beginning of the week he said, ‘Gaffer would it be possible for you to take me back to London because my mum will be throwing a party at our local church?’ Michail didn’t drive at the time so I had no problems doing that. As soon as the game finished, it got to about quarter past five and I drove from Cheltenham to Wandsworth. When we pulled up there was this little church and all his family were there and everyone was well dressed. Then Michail said to me, ‘Would you come in and meet everyone?’ So then I parked the car, went in with him and Michail introduced me to his mum and all the rest of his family. They couldn’t thank me enough because if I hadn’t have dropped him off, he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it.
“I stood there for half an hour and shook everyone’s hands. Before I left, Michail gave me a big hug and said thanks. That was 11 years ago and I’ll never forget it. I saw him a few months ago at West Ham. I was standing near the dressing room and Michail saw me. He walked towards me with that great big smile of his and he hugged me and said, ‘It’s great to see you again. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me’.”
Although Antonio failed to score in the nine games he played during his loan spell, it was Allen who gave the forward his Football League debut against Leeds United in 2009 and, having formed a close bond with Antonio, Allen felt the forward could improve his game by playing head tennis.
“Although he was young, you could see flashes that he was going to be a really good player,” he says. “It was just going to take a couple more years for him to get that consistency. The bits he needed to work on were his technical ability. He was strong and very quick but sometimes his first touch would let him down. So I felt if he got to the training ground early every morning and played head tennis and one-touch football, it would help him. Michail was happy to do that and over time his first touch improved.”
When Antonio returned to Reading for the start of the 2009-10 season, he made his debut for the club in their League Cup fixture against Barnsley. Two months later he was loaned out to Southampton for a month and, having impressed manager Alan Pardew, it was extended until the end of the season. Although he only scored seven goals in 39 appearances, Antonio won his first medal in professional football when he scored the fourth goal in Southampton’s 4-1 win over Carlisle United in the 2010 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
“The one thing that impressed me was how versatile he is,” says Pardew. “He could play in many different positions, he was strong, fast and also had a good long throw. At Southampton, he was a great character and I was a really good fan of his. Even at that young age, I could tell he was going to be a big talent. I tried to sign him a couple of times when I was at Newcastle United and Crystal Palace.
“We worked on his finishing because he needed to be more composed and take his time a bit more. Due to the fact he’s so quick, he would rush things like crossing the ball too early or shooting early. They were my main points to him.
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“But he was a lovely character in the dressing room. A funny guy and he was always up for a laugh. Players like Michail can change the atmosphere at the training ground in a positive way and that’s important. I can see that he has the attributes to play as a striker. He played a big role in West Ham staying up and has been a key player for them. Long may that continue.”
Antonio had other loan spells at Colchester United and Sheffield Wednesday, the latter leading to a permanent move to Hillsborough in 2012. In his first season with the club, Antonio finished with nine goals and his performances caught the attention of Nottingham Forest, who signed the forward on a three-year deal in August 2014 for £1.5 million.
Antonio started every league match for Forest during his first season with the club, scoring 14 goals, and was named Forest’s player of the season. Ex-Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman was aware of Antonio’s ability when he played for Tooting & Mitcham and thoroughly enjoyed working with the forward. Before his managerial appointment at Forest in 2015, Freedman would often recommend Antonio to managers in the top flight.
“He was a dream to work with,” says Freedman. “He trained hard and with intensity. I played him as a false nine at Nottingham Forest because he was our only weapon up front and he did fantastically well. I was pleasantly surprised at his technical ability and I recommended him to a few Premier League managers. Michail is a very hard-working guy and he has a great attitude. His mentality has enabled him to progress in his career and at West Ham.
“As a manager, sometimes you don’t get to know the players personally. But what I liked about working with Michail is he was very open to new ideas, whether it was playing right wing, left wing, right-back — and he’s also done that for West Ham with no trouble whatsoever. So it’s not like you have to pull him in the office and say, ‘Michail I’m playing you at right-back today’. He would just smile and get on with it. He’s a team player.”
Chris Cohen, who came through the ranks at West Ham, played for Forest for 11 years between 2007 and 2018. He made more than 300 appearances for the club and considers Antonio to be one of the best players he’s played with.
“Michail was always happy, keen to joke around and he was a great character in the dressing room,” says Cohen. “He’s always positive and unfortunately we realised he was playing so well that it was going to be tough to keep him.
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“I can’t remember who we were playing against but Michail smashed it into the top corner and it was that moment where I looked at him and thought, ‘He is definitely past Championship level, he needs to be in the Premier League’. When he left Forest, everyone realised it was his time to shine on the big stage. Michail was only at Forest for a year but he was electric for us. If I had to do a Forest XI in terms of best players I’ve played with, Michail would be in it.”
Antonio joined West Ham in 2015 for £7 million and won the Hammer of the Year award in 2017. He has scored 38 goals in 154 appearances and West Ham have the option to offer the forward a one-year contract extension next summer. The 30-year-old, who is a father of four, wants to stay at West Ham and is settled in London. He earns in the region of £70,000 a week, including bonuses, but that is some way short of West Ham’s highest earners such as Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko.
Although there has been interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spanish side Real Betis in recent seasons, Antonio believes he could retire at West Ham and still harbours ambitions of playing for England. He was named in Sam Allardyce’s first England squad but was an unused substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in September 2016. He was called up by Gareth Southgate in March 2017 for England’s friendly against Germany and the World Cup qualifier against Lithuania, but had to withdraw after picking up a hamstring injury.
Having scored eight goals for West Ham after lockdown, with four of them coming against Norwich City, Antonio could be in Southgate’s thinking for England’s forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark in September.
“I was so happy for him when he got called up,” says childhood friend Burridge. “Just hearing that someone you know got called up to play for the national team was crazy. Playing in the Premier League is great but to get called up by England is a different level. I hope Michael gets another opportunity.”
But despite Antonio playing an important role in West Ham avoiding relegation, last season he was also been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. On Christmas Day, and 24 hours before West Ham were set to face Crystal Palace, Antonio crashed his Lamborghini while dressed as a snowman in south London. He left the scene without apologising.
Eight months later and Antonio has not only put snowman-gate behind him, but he appears to no longer be plagued by hamstring injuries. He was ruled out for three months when he sustained the injury in West Ham’s Carabao Cup victory at Newport County last August. But he appears to be fitter and stronger, having finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in 24 appearances — his previous best in the top-flight was nine (from 29 games) during the 2016-17 season under Slaven Bilic.
“The way he was playing, you’re half-worrying that clubs could have a look at Antonio,” says Cohen. “He’s been integral to West Ham and has shone wherever he’s played. The nice thing about Gareth Southgate is that he doesn’t appear to have favourites. He’s willing to put untested players in at that level. If Michail continues his form next season, I do not doubt that he will be an England international very soon.”