Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterMichail Antonio's journey to the top of English football was anything but straightforward.The former West Ham forward had to endure rejections, injuries and missed opportunities that threatened to derail his career before it really got going.One of these first setbacks came at the age of just 14, when a young Antonio was offered a place at a Premier League academy.Antonio on his early Spurs setbackThat opportunity came at Tottenham, only for his mother to turn down the chance."Yeah, I was playing for my school team and my teacher, Mr Watson, kind of worked with Spurs," Antonio tells FourFourTwo. "He got them to come and watch me and another player, we were both quite good. You may like At West Ham, I told Slaven Bilic Ill never play at right-back! Mark Noble argued with me, so I stormed off and got a taxi home Michail Antonio on his shifting roles at West Ham From debut challenges to record scorer: Michail Antonio recalls his West Ham highlights I sat on the bench for two months, so someone tweeted a picture of me to David Gold saying 'Missing person' and he retweeted. It was hilarious Michail Antonio on a curious incident from his early West Ham days "They scouted us and I was buzzing, thinking, Oh my God, Im going to go to Spurs academy, this is the start of me becoming a professional."However, when an excited teenage Antonio rushed home to tell his mum, he was handed a reality check.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."I went home to tell my mum she wasnt really into football and was like, Oh, where is it? I said North London, and she asked, So when are you going to be going there?"I was like, Every day after school. She said, What time will you be getting back? I said, Around 11 or 12.For Antonio's mother, this was unacceptable, and she would leave little room for negotiation. What to read next Karren Brady offered me a �5k a week deal with the U21s, I said, 'The U21s are on more than that' Her response was, 'Well, they havent been in a car crash and shattered their leg' I didnt sign the contract Michail Antonio on his West Ham rejection Michail Antonio wanted West Ham to get relegated after sour end to Hammers career I have no memory of my car crash. When the first responders got there one leg was a quarter smaller than the other because it was completely shattered Michail Antonio on his 2024 car crash "She said, No, no chance. Your education comes first, theres no way that were putting your education at risk for football, which isnt a guarantee.Any protests were quickly shot down."She was like, Go upstairs to your bed, you aint going nowhere, mate. I was fuming! I was crying that night non-stop, I thought shed taken my dream away from me"Michail Antonios autobiography 'Humans Not Robots', published by HarperCollins, is available nowTOPICSWest Ham UnitedPremier LeagueJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromChris FlanaganSenior Staff Writer
