Michail Antonio ‘hated football and wanted to be injured’ as he opens up on mental health
West Ham United star Michail Antonio has opened up on his mental health struggles and admitted he has “prayed for an injury” in the past as he grew to dislike football while juggling personal issues
West Ham forward Michail Antonio has courageously opened up about his mental health struggles and revealed there was a time when he wished for an injury to escape football.
The Premier League ace has been grappling with his mental health during a tumultuous period in his life, both professionally and personally. He’s continued trying to carve out a successful career at the London Stadium while navigating through a divorce proved challenging, The Mirror report
It wasn’t until he sought help from a therapist that things began to improve, but Antonio recalls moments when he “just started disliking the game”. This feeling of discontent meant he couldn’t fully savour West Ham’s historic victory in last season’s Europa conference league final until half a year later
I think we even won [a] game [in December 2022], but I didn’t have the best of games. And I was just like to myself, ‘I’m not enjoying football’,” confessed the Hammers star on the latest episode of the High Performance broadcast. “During the game, I was like, ‘I’m really not enjoying this.’ I just felt quite negative. I’m a very positive person myself
didn’t score from December until I think it was March, April time. And I just felt, like, run-down. And then I went away with Jamaica because I was enjoying football with Jamaica for some strange reason. But I actually prayed for an injury.”
Recounting his emotional struggle, the Hammers’ top Premier League scorer ever continued: “I was like, ‘I just want to get injured, I want some time off’. And then I went away with Jamaica and I did my medial [knee ligament in November 2023]. I was thinking to myself, ‘I’m 33. I can’t afford to be performing this way, otherwise I’m not going to get another contract’.”
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