Antonio shattered his femur in 4 completely different locations after his Ferrari spun off the street and crashed right into a tree in Epping Forest throughout Storm Darragh.
Antonio, who was supported by West Ham all through his rehabilitation, reiterates that he doesn’t keep in mind the crash and says his “household lived it extra”.
He particulars how he needed to be taught to stroll, then run and leap once more, including: “The toughest half wasn’t the restoration. It was the knockbacks for me.”
The ahead held talks with Brentford and Leicester Metropolis over proposed transfers however these offers didn’t materialise.
He stated: “After I discovered I might torn my calf the day earlier than signing for Brentford, I laid in mattress for 2 days.
“First day, I used to be simply crying. The second day, I simply did not need to get away from bed. I believed ‘I am again the place I need to be, I am again within the Premier League’. After which it occurred once more with Leicester.
“I used to be meant to return to Leicester however they did not need me again in as a result of they did not desire a relapse on their books. So I skilled alone for per week after which went into Charlton.”
Antonio held exploratory talks with the Championship membership over a pay-as-you-play deal, earlier than selecting to maneuver to Qatar as an alternative.
Psychological resilience has at all times been a theme of Antonio’s profession, having been rejected by the likes of Brentford and Queens Park Rangers as a young person, needing to go from non-league Tooting and Mitcham in south London, aged 12 to 18, to the Premier League by climbing the English soccer pyramid.
“It wasn’t till I used to be going via a divorce that I began remedy,” he stated. “Remedy made me realise there are loads of belongings you expertise in life, however you by no means actually dwell the moments. Like with Leicester – I used to be numb to it, however numbing is not coping with it.
“Not till you converse to somebody – not somebody who provides their opinion, however somebody who helps you perceive what is going on on – that is whenever you realise these moments are key.”
