Michail Antonio ‘didn’t feel safe’ in his Ferrari before ‘almost dying’ in horror car crash

Michail Antonio says he ‘didn’t feel safe’ in his Ferrari before ‘almost dying’ in a horrific car crash.

The West Ham striker crashed into a tree in Epping Forest on his way back from training on a stormy Saturday back in early December.

The haunting pictures that surfaced on social media left fans questioning if Antonio was still alive.

Antonio spent more than three weeks in hospital with a broken leg but says he was given ‘another chance at life’ after being ‘close to dying’.

A few hours before the crash, Antonio had decided to take his Ferrari to training as he felt too ‘lazy’ to get some bags out of his other car.

‘The back of the car kept swinging out on me, so I didn’t feel safe,’ he told BBC One. ‘I had had it for three weeks and I was already thinking about giving it back.

‘I’ve always been a fan and friend of sports cars and old classics, but I can’t lie to you, sports cars are not my friends.

‘So right now, I have a Mercedes people carrier and my brother is my driver. For now, anyway, I’m staying far away from sports cars.’

Antonio remembers ‘nothing’ from the crash despite speaking to police and an ambulance crew from inside the wreckage.

‘It’s weird, because the whole way through this, I have been told that I was awake and was speaking to everybody – the police, the people, and the person who found me,’ he said.

‘My leg was completely shattered and they got me out and put a splint on it by the side of the car.

‘Everyone believed I got an air ambulance out, but the helicopter couldn’t get off the ground because of the storm, so I was driven to the hospital.’

While he escaped with his life, there were fears the crash would force Antonio into early retirement.

However, the 34-year-old – West Ham’s all-time record goalscorer in the Premier League – has vowed to return to the pitch.

The West Ham squad wore shirts with Antonio’s name on in their first game since the crash, while the player himself received a warm reception on his first return to the London Stadium earlier this month.

‘I shattered my femur bone in four different places,’ he added. ‘I had one single keyhole surgery.

‘They put a pole in my thigh with four bolts, so screws and bolts to knit it back together.

‘My first surgeon said he didn’t want me to put any weight on my leg for three months, which is around about now, and you can see that I am walking.

‘We got a second specialist who said I needed to start putting weight on it, increasing from 10% up to 100% within three weeks.

‘But I kept my crutches for a further two weeks. Overall, they say it will be between six to 12 months before my leg starts healing properly.’

Asked if he is confident he still has a playing career ahead of him, Antonio responded: ‘Yes, 100%. I will play again.

‘That’s what I am focused on and why I am working six days a week. I’ve always been positive from this situation. It’s a horrendous accident, and it’s a massive injury.

‘It’s the biggest injury I’ve ever had in my career. But the fact that I’m already two to three months ahead of where I should be, I know that I’ll play again, and I know that once I’m playing the game I’ll get the sharpness back.

‘I was one of the quickest at West Ham. So my body wasn’t the body of a 34-year-old before I had the accident anyway. I can still be sharp and still do the business.

‘People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something that I’ve always believed in and this is just another setback, and it is not going to stop me.’

Antonio says realising he ‘almost wasn’t there’ for his six children has been difficult to process in the months since the crash.

‘The most difficult part is that I almost wasn’t there for my children,’ he said. ‘It’s just made me happy, positive about life, because I’ve got another chance at life.

‘During this, we kept it away from the kids. My eldest saw it, and he struggled with it. He’s 13, and obviously people were showing photos of the car.

‘So he came down and saw me in the hospital. But the younger ones, they never really knew how bad the situation was. We kind of avoided letting them get on the internet.’

Since Antonio has been on the sidelines, West Ham have sacked Julen Lopetegui and brought in ex-Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter as their new manager.

The Hammers are currently 16th in the Premier League with nine games of the season remaining.

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