- Antonio was shocked to hear about Jota’s death
- Recalled his own near-death experience after car crash
- وست هام released Antonio this summer
Antonio recalled the moment he heard Jota’s unfortunate news as the جامايكا international was working on his rehabilitation following his horrific car accident. The incident occurred in December last year, and the forward was lucky to survive.
التحدث إلى FourFourTwo while on punditry duty at the درع المجتمع this weekend, the 35-year-old said: “It shocked me to my core, to be fair. I was literally in the gym doing some strength work on my leg at the time with one of my personal physios. And he told me, he’s like, ‘Have you seen this?’.”
He added: “It distracted me. I couldn’t really work out. I kind of just called it a day and went home. It shocked me to my core, because it could easily have been me.”
Earlier this month, West Ham formally announced the departure of Antonio as they refused to offer a contract extension to the experienced forward, whose existing deal expires this summer. Antonio saw an early return to action, despite being told that he would take at least 12 months to fully recover from his injuries, as he took the field for the Jamaican وطني team at the 2025 كأس الكونكاكاف الذهبية.
For now, the 35-year-old has taken up TNT Sports’ punditry role, but he has confirmed that he wants to extend his professional career and is looking for prospects abroad.
