Michail Antonio
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Michail Gregory Antonio (born 28 March 1990) is a professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
for club
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. Antonio began his career at
non-League Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to d ...
club Tooting & Mitcham United before signing with
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
of the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
in 2008. The club sent him on subsequent loan spells to
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
, back to Tooting & Mitcham,
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
, as he struggled to find a place in Reading's first team throughout his four-year stay at the Madejski. A final loan spell with
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
resulted in a permanent move in 2012, where he went on to make 64 appearances and score 12 goals.
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
signed him from Wednesday in 2014, where his 16 goals in 50 appearances attracted attention from
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
of the
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, who signed him in 2015, where he was deployed in a number of positions including
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
,
right midfield A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
er and as a winger before eventually establishing himself as the club's main striker. On 23 August 2021, he became West Ham United's all-time top scorer in the Premier League.


Club career


Early career

Antonio was born in
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...
, Greater London. He began playing football as a youth at Tooting & Mitcham United Juniors at the age of 12 and remained there for six seasons. He was scouted and invited for a trial by
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
at the age of 14, though, his mother rejected the opportunity on his behalf and he remained with Tooting and Mitcham; he would also later unsuccessfully trial with both
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
and
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
as a teenager. The Juniors' team was independent from Tooting & Mitcham United, whom he later signed for at the age of 17 years. He made his debut for the club in an away match against
Wealdstone Wealdstone () is a district located in the centre of the London Borough of Harrow, England. It is located just north of Harrow town centre and is south of Harrow Weald, west of Belmont and Kenton, and east of Headstone. The area accommodates ...
at the age of 18, scoring once in a 3–0 victory.


Reading

After just a handful of first-team appearances for Tooting & Mitcham United, Antonio signed for
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
club
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
on 28 October 2008 for an undisclosed fee, signing a deal until 2010. He rejoined Tooting on a month-long loan spell on 9 January 2009, with the loan extended for a further month on 11 February but he returned to Reading less than a week later on 17 February after being recalled by the club. Following his loan spell with
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in the summer of 2010, Antonio signed a fresh deal to keep him at Reading until 2013. He featured more regularly in the squad during the 2010–11 season, scoring one goal, against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...
, in 24 appearances in all competitions.


Cheltenham Town (loan)

After being recalled from Tooting, Antonio was subsequently loaned out to
League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...
on a month's loan, commencing on 19 February. He made his
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
debut in a 2–0 defeat to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
on 21 February, being substituted on 28 minutes after suffering from an ankle injury. After spending some time out injured, Antonio would go on to make eight further appearances until the end of the season with Cheltenham.


Southampton (loan)

Southampton signed Antonio on loan for one month on 5 October 2009, making his debut on 9 October in a 3–1 away win at
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
. He scored his first goal for Southampton in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
victory over
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
on 6 November. The loan was subsequently extended until the end of the season. He scored in the first leg of the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
area final against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
, with the match finishing 1–0. He also scored in his next appearance, a 2–1 victory over
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. He scored again in the 4–1 2010 Football League Trophy Final win over Carlisle United at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
on 28 March 2010, which was his 20th birthday, bringing Antonio his first silverware. Antonio's loan deal finished at the end of the 2009–10 season, but both manager Alan Pardew and Antonio himself expressed a desire for the winger to remain at Southampton.


Colchester United (loan)

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
was the next destination for Antonio, where he signed on a one-month loan on 15 August 2011. He made his debut for the club the following day in a 2–0 home defeat to
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
. He scored his first goal for the club to put the U's 2–1 ahead as they eventually lost in a 3–2 defeat to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
on 20 August. His loan spell with the club was extended for another month in September and then for a further month in October. In total, Antonio scored four goals in 15 league outings for Colchester.


Sheffield Wednesday

On 21 February 2012,
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
signed Antonio on an emergency loan deal until the end of the season. His debut for the Owls came in a 1–0 victory over local rivals,
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on 26 February. In his next appearance, a 4–1 win against
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
, he scored two and set up another for
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
Ryan Lowe Ryan Thomas Lowe (born 18 September 1978) is an English football manager and former professional player, who is manager of Championship side Preston North End. His playing career, as a striker, began at Burscough in 1999 and he became a Footbal ...
. In the following match, against
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, Antonio set up the opener and scored Wednesday's third in the opening ten minutes. On 21 April 2012, against Carlisle United at Hillsborough, he scored a 95th-minute winner to beat them and put Sheffield Wednesday only one point behind local rivals United, who were in second place. He helped the Owls to promotion on the final day of the season by scoring the first in a 2–0 victory over already relegated
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...
, which led Wednesday to finish above Steel city rivals Sheffield United. Antonio signed on a permanent basis for Sheffield Wednesday on 6 August 2012 on a four-year deal after a third and final bid for the player was accepted by Reading. In his first season with the club, Antonio had been leading the scoring charts with nine goals, but an injury suffered in a 2–0 defeat by Cardiff City on 16 March 2013 ruled him out for the rest of the season.


Nottingham Forest

On 6 August 2014, Antonio signed a three-year contract with
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
for a transfer fee in the region of £1.5 million. Antonio's strong form in Forest's first five league matches of the season, in which he contributed three goals and three assists, led to him being named as a candidate for the Championship's Player of the Month award for August. Antonio lost out on the award to Charlton's Igor Vetokele. 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 on 4 May 2015. On 11 August 2015, Antonio scored a brace in a 3–4 loss to League One club
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in the first round of the
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. On 15 August, the winger scored the winner in a 2–1 victory at home to Rotherham to open his tally for the new season. Having already rejected a bid of £4 million from
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
for the transfer of Antonio earlier that summer, Forest received a second bid of £4 million from arch-rivals
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...
. Consequently, Antonio was left out of Forest's Championship match against
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
on 19 August 2015, with his manager
Dougie Freedman Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace. Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...
citing that the winger was not "in the right frame of mind" to play. However, Antonio returned for the next league match at Bolton Wanderers. On 26 August,
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
joined the bidding for Antonio, offering Forest £4 million and winger
Matt Jarvis Matthew Thomas Jarvis (born 22 May 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. After an unsuccessful spell as a youth-team player for Millwall, Jarvis began his professional career with Gillingham, making his ...
on a season-long loan.


West Ham United


2015–2017

On 1 September 2015, Antonio signed for
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club West Ham United for around £7 million on a four-year contract with an option for a further two years. He made his debut on 19 September, replacing
Victor Moses Victor Moses (born 12 December 1990) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a winger on either flank for Russian club Spartak Moscow. He has also been deployed as a wing-back at times during his career. Moses began his career in t ...
in the 60th minute of West Ham's 2–1 Premier League win at Manchester City. In a
Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
performance on 28 December 2015 in a 2–1 win, Antonio scored his first goal for West Ham. With the team losing 1–0 to Southampton, Antonio equalised when a clearance hit him and looped over Southampton goalkeeper,
Maarten Stekelenburg Maarten Stekelenburg (; born 22 September 1982) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club Ajax. Stekelenburg began his career at Ajax, playing 282 matches over nine seasons in his first spell there and win ...
. On 27 February, Antonio scored the only goal in a home win over Sunderland. He celebrated by lying on his side and spinning in a circle, imitating a celebration by ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' character
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
in the episode "
Last Exit to Springfield "Last Exit to Springfield" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 11, 1993. The plot revolves around Homer ...
". In his next appearance, Antonio turned-in a
Man of the match In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
performance, scoring the only goal in a home win against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
. He followed this with another goal in a 3–2 away win at Everton three days later as West Ham came from two goals down. In July 2016, Antonio signed a new, four-year contract with West Ham. Antonio started West Ham's first match of the 2016–17 season in the
right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
position, subsequently giving away a penalty in the early stages of the second half, which was converted by
Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...
, to give
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
a 1–0 lead. He was substituted not long after for
Sam Byram Samuel Mark Byram (born 16 September 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right back for Championship club Leeds United. Club career Byram was born in Thurrock, Essex, before moving north, where he attended Ralph Butte ...
. Chelsea went on to win 2–1. In the second match of the season, on 21 August 2016, Antonio returned to his favourite position of winger. He scored the only goal of the match, from a cross by
Gökhan Töre Gökhan Töre (, born 20 January 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Adana Demirspor. Töre began his club career at Hamburger SV before joining Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan in the summer of 2012. He made onl ...
, in a 1–0 win against Bournemouth; West Ham's first Premier League match and goal at their new ground, the
London Stadium London Stadium (formerly and also known as Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford, London, Stratford district of London. It is located ...
. In April 2017, having scored nine goals for West Ham, Antonio was ruled out for the remainder of the season with what was described by manager,
Slaven Bilić Slaven Bilić (; born 11 September 1968) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of EFL Championship side Watford. Bilić, who played as a defender, began his career in 1988 with his hometown c ...
, as a "significant injury". For his performances during the 2016–17 season, Antonio was named
Hammer of the Year West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. On 11 May 2017, West Ham announced that Antonio had signed a new, four-year contract.


2017–2021

Antonio scored the first goal by a visiting player at the new
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the home of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in north London, replacing the club's previous ground, White Hart Lane. With a seating capacity of 62,850, it is the third-largest football stadium in England and the ...
, on 27 April 2019, as West Ham won 1–0, becoming the first away team to win at the stadium. On 11 July 2020, Antonio scored all four goals in a 4–0 win for West Ham over
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
, becoming the first player in West Ham's history to score four goals in a single Premier League game and the first West Ham player to score four goals in a game since
David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series '' Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix si ...
against Tottenham in September 1981. On 22 July 2020, Antonio scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season, his best return in the top division of English football, in West Ham's 1–1 draw with Manchester United at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
. The result also secured West Ham's place in the Premier League for the following
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
. In December 2020, Antonio signed a new, three-year contract committing himself to the club until 2023. Antonio finished the 2020–21 season as West Ham's joint top-scorer, alongside
Tomáš Souček Tomáš Souček (; born 27 February 1995) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club West Ham United and captains the Czech Republic national team. Club career Slavia Prague Souček joined Slavia Prague’s ...
, with ten goals.


2021–22 season

On 15 August 2021, Antonio scored his 47th Premier League goal for the club, in a 4–2 victory away to Newcastle United, in West Ham United's opening match of the 2021–22 season. The goal drew him level with the club's all time record top scorer in the Premier League era,
Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward ...
. On 23 August, he scored a brace in West Ham's 4–1 home win against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
to eclipse Di Canio's record. His goal celebration involved him running to the substitutes’ bench and hoisting a cardboard cut-out of himself above his head, drawing inspiration from actors
Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
and
Jennifer Grey Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut with the film ''Reckless'' (1984), and had her breakthrough with the teen comedy film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986). She subsequently earned worldwide ...
in the musical movie
Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...
. On 10 September 2021, he was named as
Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...
for August 2021. Antonio scored West Ham’s first goal in a 2–0 win against
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
, on 16 September in their opening game in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League group stage. It was West Ham’s first goal in major European competition since 1999. On 25 September 2021, Antonio was subjected to racist abuse by a
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
supporter during a game a Elland Road. The offender was banned from attending any football match for four years after he was convicted of two offences at a trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court and given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. On 7 January 2022, Antonio signed a new two and a half year deal with
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, with the option to extend a further year.


International career

In March 2016, Antonio revealed that he had rejected the opportunity to play for
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
internationally and that he harboured an ambition of playing for England. On 28 August 2016, in new
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
's first squad, Antonio was called up for the first time, for a 2018 World Cup qualification match against
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
in Slovakia on 4 September 2016 where he was an unused substitute. On 16 March 2017, Antonio was called up by new England manager
Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a defender and midfielder. He has been the manager of the England national team since 2016. Southgate won the League Cup ...
's squad for the friendly match against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on 22 March and the 2018 World Cup qualifier against
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
on 26 March; however, on 20 March, Antonio withdrew from the squad after picking up a hamstring injury. In February 2021, Antonio was again approached by
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
to consider playing for them at international level. He was said to be passionate about playing and helping them reach the 2022 World Cup. In March 2021, Antonio was reported to be in the process of obtaining his Jamaican passport. On 17 March 2021, it was reported that Antonio had decided he was going to represent Jamaica internationally, ahead of the squad being announced for an upcoming international friendly against the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Despite this, Antonio was not included in the 19-man squad when this was announced on 17 March. The BBC reported that Antonio was still to decide whether to switch. TalkSPORT reported on the same day that he had pledged to play for Jamaica. On 18 June 2021, Antonio was named in Jamaica's 60-man provisional squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Antonio missed out on the final 23-man squad, by virtue of not having secured his Jamaican passport in time. In August 2021, ''
The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories from top professional and college sports ...
'' reported Antonio had received his passport, making him eligible to play for the country. He was subsequently called up for a 35-man squad for upcoming World Cup fixtures against
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
and
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
although
COVID-19 travel restrictions During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and regions imposed quarantines, entry bans, or other travel restrictions for citizens of or recent travelers to the most affected areas. Some countries and regions imposed global restrictions th ...
do not allow him to enter either Mexico or Costa Rica. He debuted with Jamaica in a 3–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification loss to
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
on 5 September 2021. His debut lasted 70 minutes. He spent much of the game isolated with little service from his team on what was described as a hard and dry pitch. Antonio scored his first goal for Jamaica in his second international appearance. In a World Cup qualifying game against
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
on 13 November, Antonio scored the opening goal before Alex Roldan equalised for El Salvador as the game finished 1–1.


Style of play

Antonio is a player who has been touted for his versatility throughout his time at West Ham. Antonio has played as a
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
,
right midfield A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
er, winger and striker throughout his years at the club. Antonio said in 2016 however that his preferred position was on the wing.


Personal life

Antonio is married and has four children. In February 2019, Antonio suggested that clubs whose fans engage in racial abuse should be deducted points. During the 2019 United Kingdom general election, Antonio endorsed Sara Kumar, the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
candidate in the
West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...
constituency.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Antonio goal.''


Honours

Southampton *
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
: 2009–10 Sheffield Wednesday * Football League One runner-up: 2011–12 Individual *
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
Player of the Year: 2014–15 * West Ham United Hammer of the Year: 2016–17 *
Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...
: July 2020, August 2021


References


External links


Profile
at the West Ham United F.C. website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio, Michail 1990 births Living people Black British sportspeople Footballers from Wandsworth Jamaican footballers Jamaica international footballers English footballers English sportspeople of Jamaican descent Citizens of Jamaica through descent Association football wingers Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. players Reading F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Isthmian League players English Football League players Premier League players