After a remarkable journey that saw him go from non-league football to the professional ranks at West Ham, Michail Antonio is poised to achieve European glory. But the 33-year-old's path won't be easy.
Recently, Antonio has made news for all the wrong reasons. After revealing on his own podcast that he was in contact with other Premier League clubs during the January transfer window, he was overheard criticizing his teammate Gianluca Scamacca and taking a shot at David Moyes during an interview on Filthy Fellas.
David de Gea was also criticized by Antonio for his error against West Ham, while Richarlison was made fun of for his extravagant shirtless celebration during Tottenham's match against Liverpool.
Despite a difficult start to the 2022–2023 season, the outspoken character has kept his spot in the West Ham squad and may possibly start this evening's Conference League final against Fiorentina.
In order to explain why Moyes must keep Antonio in the lineup for their first significant European final in 47 years, Mail Sport has chosen to examine all of Antonio's contentious moments from this season.
Gianluca Scamacca is criticized by Antonio, and he doesn't think highly of David Moyes' strategies.
After berating Gianluca Scamacca, Antonio found himself in hot trouble. In the same interview, the 33-year-old striker criticized David Moyes' strategies.
'I'm going to be honest with you all,' he declared. Scamacca is genuinely of high caliber. He is a talented athlete. He can't play like the gaffer [Moyes], which is the problem. To play his kind of football, he needs a different kind of manager.
However, David Moyes' style of play is more akin to being up front, where you have to deal with scraps and be more of a warrior, and that's not him.
After a successful season with Sassuolo in Serie A, where he scored 16 goals in 38 games and made his debut for Italy, West Ham signed Scamacca. He has had trouble maintaining the same form in England, though.
The 23-year-old did score five goals in nine appearances in the Europa Conference League, but he hasn't played since January due to a knee ailment, which is giving Moyes all kinds of trouble.
The purpose of Scamacca's coming was to provide Antonio with protection and rivalry. But his chronic injury compelled Moyes to spend more money on Danny Ings.
Antonio claims that his despondency at West Ham was caused by a lack of playing time.
After being excluded from West Ham's starting lineup, Antonio's mental state deteriorated. The 33-year-old even admitted that he wanted to quit the sport because he felt "powerless" in it.
'I'm a person that typically bounces back from things, pretty upbeat, and never let much hold me down,' Antonio stated when discussing his battles with depression. One particular instance truly affected me.
I'm a control-oriented person, so I'll handle situations if I believe I can manage them. But this time, when it did hit, I felt as though I had descended into a depressive state.
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