'I could've punched him in his face!' – Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch

Michail Antonio joins Adebayo Akinfenwa on the second episode of the Best Mode On Podcast as he opens up on a Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen that left him absolutely outraged

BALLGM’s brand new Beast Mode On Podcast hosted by Adebayo Akinfenwa, welcomes guest Michail Antonio as he discusses the harrowing car crash that almost killed him as well as listing some of his toughest opponents and the Portuguese referee that he almost fought on the pitch after being left outraged by the decisions of the official.

Antonio, who is ‘s record goalscorer having struck 68 times in ‘s top flight for the Hammers, recalls one particular defeat, against in a quarter-final tie back in April 2024, that made him so angry that he was ready to punch referee Artur Soares Dias in the face.

Scroll down to read about why Antonio was left so enraged by the match official, as well as one hilarious clash he had with Manchester centre-back Harry Maguire and how a certain former City winger was one of very few players to get the better of him. You can watch the full episode of the Best Mode On Podcast via YouTube and Spotify.

'I could've punched him in his face!' - Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch'I could've punched him in his face!' - Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch'I could've punched him in his face!' - Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch'I could've punched him in his face!' - Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch

BALLGM’s brand newu0026nbsp;Beast Mode On Podcast, hosted by Adebayo Akinfenwa, welcomes guest Michail Antonio as he discusses the harrowing car crash that almost killed him, as well as listing some of his toughest opponents and the Portuguese referee that he almost fought on the pitch after being left outraged by the decisions of the official.

Antonio, who is West Ham’s record Premier League goalscorer having struck 68 times in England’s top flight for the Hammers, recalls one particular defeat, against Bayer Leverkusen in a Europa League quarter-final tie back in April 2024, that made him so angry that he was ready to punch referee Artur Soares Dias in the face.

Scroll down to read about why Antonio was left so enraged by the match official, as well as one hilarious clash he had with centre-back Harry Maguire and how a certain former Swansea City winger was one of very few players to get the better of him. You can watch the full episode of the Best Mode On Podcast via YouTube and Spotify.

Antonio, who has left West Ham following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2024-25 season, first recalled a funny story involving a tussle with United centre-back Maguire. He said: “I remember once, Harry Maguire, I’m a heavy man, 94kg, Harry Maguire, somehow, the ball’s come in, I’ve jumped to chest it and he’s held me like a child and threw me. I’ve fallen straight on my face and the referee went: ‘Play on’. I’m like: ‘How on earth can you not see I’ve been carried like a child?’ [But] that wasn’t the worst decision.”

Referring to a Europa League clash that the Hammers would lose 2-0, a result they couldn’t turnaround as they were knocked out by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, Antonio added: “That isn’t the worst decision. Quarter-finals, Europa League, we played Bayer Leverkusen, we lost. That was the worst refereeing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I didn’t get a single decision. I could’ve punched him [referee Soares Dias] in his face. If it wasn’t for a lifetime ban, there would’ve been a fight on the pitch.”n

Discussing some of the toughest opponents he’s come up against, Antonio referred to Eden Hazard and ex-Swansea City forward Mo Barrow as being the only two that caused him serious problems, back when he was asked to play right-back for West Ham. He said: “[There was] nobody else [I would come up against and think I had a tough evening ahead]. Only Hazard… what was annoying about Hazard, I was quite egotistical when I was playing in defence, I was like: ‘No one’s going to be beat me – if they try to go past me I’m just going to put my arm across him and take the ball’. I was so confident.

“But with Hazard, I couldn’t get near him. He was so annoying. He would get the ball and drive inside. Because he’s driving infield I’m always a distance away from him. I’m just chasing shadows. Do you know who ripped me the most? You wouldn’t know who he is. Mo Barrow – Swansea. I’ve marked [Anthony] Martial, Hazard, [Marcus] Rashford, all these people, I’ve done well. But the one who ripped me the most was Mo Barrow.”n

Antonio currently leads West Ham’s all-time Premier League goalscoring charts with 68 goals to his name. Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen is, however, fast closing in on his former team-mate’s tally, and is now just 12 behind of the 35-year-old ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season. That’s not lost on Antonio, who joked that the England international should be sold to avoid him claiming the record: “This is what’s annoying me about Jarrod, he’s 12 goals away from me.

“I’m like: ‘Give me at least five years of me chilling [with the record]. It was there for like 20 years [before] and now you want to take it from me within four years?! What are you doing?!’ He needs to leave! I don’t care. I know West Ham fans will be mad at me for saying it but he needs to leave!”