LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 05: Michail Antonio of West Ham United reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on May 05, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
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After his divorce, West Ham player Michail Antonio says he was “pray[ing] for an injury” and opens up about commencing therapy.
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Michail Antonio has shared that he is undergoing therapy after falling out of love with football to the extent that the West Ham star once hoped that he would be sidelined with injury.
The 34-year-old joined the Premier League side nine years ago on the heels of a meteoric rise from non-league side Tooting & Mitcham United, after stints at Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest.
But despite having a lasting spell in the English top-flight, Antonio increasingly felt a strain on his mental health prompted by his divorce from ex-wife.
The striker confessed that he had ‘just started disliking the game’ amid a period of extreme fatigue, brought on by events away from football, and that during a time which should have been one of his happiest – winning the Europa Conference League with West Ham at the end of last season – he was severely ‘mentally drained’.
‘I was going through my divorce and stuff, and I honestly couldn’t get my head around it,’ Antonio shared on the High Performance podcast. ‘After we won, the whole team went out, the gaffer (David Moyes) went out, got steaming, a couple of boys didn’t sleep for two days, just got drunk for two days.
Michael Antonio has bravely shared details on his mental health and undergoing therapy
