“I was looking out of my hotel room, seeing rockets fly past, the hotel would shake when they were getting blocked – that was scary, but it was fine other than that day” Michail Antonio on arriving to play in Qatar as Iranian missiles hit the state
Michail Antonio has opened up about his move to Qatar following leaving West Ham in 2025.
The striker was involved in a devastating car crash which saw him suffer a gruesome leg break and ultimately led to him leaving the London Stadium.
He trained with several clubs in England before moving overseas, but signed for Al Sailiya in March 2026 only to arrive in Qatar just as the conflict between the US and Iran started.
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“Seeing rockets fly past… that was scary!” Antonio opens up on first few days in Qatar
Antonio had continued to train with West Ham to aid his rehabilitation from the injury which he suffered in December 2024, playing for their under-21 side in August, but ultimately had to wait until March 2026 before signing for a new team.
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo he said: “Every club I trained with wanted to sign me – I knew I still had the quality. The first club I trained with was Brentford – they offered me a contract, but I got injured. Leicester offered me a contract, but I got injured.
“Charlton also offered me a contract, but I ended up going out to Qatar because that was something I needed, and I really enjoyed it out there. It was a great lifestyle, a good way to build myself back into football.”
It didn’t start how he would have wished, however, with the US and Iran entering a conflict that plunged the Middle East into uncertainty for several months.
“On the very first day of the war, I was looking out of my hotel room, seeing rockets fly past,” he told FourFourTwo.
“The hotel would shake when they were getting blocked. That was scary, but it was completely fine other than that day. Later in life, after I do my presenting and stuff like that, I’ll probably end up retiring out there.”
Whilst not officially retired, Antonio has been making plans for what to do when time does come to hang up his boots.
“I have a kinetics business that works on people’s movements, which we’re trying to grow and get into football clubs.
“I’ve also got a tequila company I have shares in, and the Samba Stars Academy out in Ghana – one of our players [Listowell Lord Hinneh] signed for Middlesbrough recently.
“My agent and I have partnered up on a couple of things, and there’s another business I’m starting too, plus the pundit and presenting side of things.”
He was part of the TNT Sports team for the 2025/26 season, helping on domestic and European coverage.
