‘Clyde Best laid the ground for every black player in the Premier League today,” says Michail Antonio as he recounts the story, from 1968, of one of the first black footballers to emigrate to England in a social climate stained by the fallout from Enoch Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech in the same year. “His story is crazy, from having to fly from Bermuda to getting directions [at 17] and having to live in digs all on his own. I don’t think I could handle it. I would probably have been fighting.”
Antonio has just returned from international duty with Jamaica and is in a reflective mood about his career and the challenges he and black players before him have overcome to make it to the top. The West Ham striker has had to fight, though. He is honest about it not always being so rosy.
From being told on a six-week trial at Queens Park Rangers, in which he claimed a goal and an assist, that he “didn’t put enough crosses in” to be worth a contract, to AFC Wimbledon telling him they would not pay the £7 to register him, there are moments you sense Antonio stews over before he steps on to the pitch.
“The fighter was always in me and being here at West Ham constantly has made me fight,” he says. “It has made me a better player and it’s why I have been here for so long, because I have constantly had to prove myself. Every single year I have had to prove I had the quality to be here.”
After eight years at West Ham Antonio is verging on elder statesman status and is a role model not only for his community but for people who are fans of his story. “It’s quite crazy because it’s not just the black kids that have come up to me, they are from all cultures,” the 33-year-old says. “The fact that I come from non-league, that I went through the leagues to get into the Premier League.” It means something to the people who ask him for advice.
Antonio tells the story of a 21-year-old who asked him: “Is it too late?” He says he proceeded to reel off examples that it never truly is. Running through names such as Jamie Vardy, who was 23 when he was discovered, and Ian Wright, who entered professional football at 24, he still finds such experiences unbelievable. Stick to the belief that if you are doing the right things, anything can happen for you, he says.
He cites Wright as his biggest inspiration, not only for their similar trajectories but as somebody who he feels has paved the way for “footballers to not be put in a basket”.
Like Wright, Antonio is making waves in the media space, in his case with the podcast he co-presents with the Newcastle forward Callum Wilson, and he says the blueprint has been set. “I want to get into presenting, probably in the more entertainment side that Wrighty does than the punditry side,” he says. “Your character is key to being involved in that. It is something I will be looking forward to in my later years.”
You sense Antonio does not dwell on the past and is looking at what he can achieve in his playing career. Deemed surplus to requirements elsewhere, at West Ham he has flourished. “There has been only one transfer window where I haven’t been linked away in the years I have been here,” he says. “So it has been quite weird because every single year I have had to prove myself again. Every manager sees the positives I can bring to the team and ends up starting to use me.”
The results have been spectacular. Antonio set up a win over Manchester United with an equaliser in the last game at the Boleyn Ground, was the first to score at the London Stadium and is West Ham’s highest Premier League goalscorer with 63.
Speaking with determination, he wants 100 and to chase down Mark Noble’s club Premier League assist record of 35 (he has 31). “I’ve got a list of accolades I’m trying to hit,” he says. “I’ve definitely got a good legacy here.”
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His relentlessness, he says, is from his elder brother by two years, John, “never leaving me behind”. Experiences such as the one at QPR left Antonio feeling discouraged and not wanting to pursue football at the age of 17, but his brother’s guidance has played a big part. “He brought me to Swindon, to the outlet store, and bought me my first real pair of boots,” he says. “‘Don’t make me buy you these and then give up on me.’ Those are the boots that I became professional in.”
The professional experiences of Antonio and his familiarity with those Best went through at West Ham mean he is well placed to comment on the challenge of inclusion in football. “Managers should get more [opportunities],” he says.
“We can’t stop but we are taking the right steps forward. It’s been some time to get us in there. It’s also not just black people. It’s about as many people getting opportunities as possible. Even with people of Asian descent, traditionally they are not as involved but now are getting to integrate a bit more. So it’s about giving everyone the chance to keep progressing.”
Antonio has never lost against Aston Villa, Sunday’s opponents. There is confidence a foundation has been laid for West Ham to do something special this season. The club have not experienced a slump after winning the Conference League and have made a good start as they travel to Villa Park.
“It’s going to be a difficult game,” Antonio says. “Villa has been on fire. Ollie Watkins, everyone knows what a good striker he is.
“We go into every game believing we can do something. We played against Liverpool and showed our resilience and quality, and against Manchester City, and they are two of the best teams in the Premier League. We can’t feel like we’re not going to get anything – we’re going there for three points.”