Michail Antonio has revealed that therapy changed his life after being mentally drained due to all he was battling with outside the round leather game.
Antonio, who is one of the first names in the team sheet of manager David Moyes, has opened up on what he went through after West Ham United won the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Michail Antonio joined the Hammers from Nottingham Forest on September 1, 2015, for a fee of €9.50 million.
Michail Antonio On Going Through Therapy After Winning UEFA Europa Conference League With West Ham United
During a recent edition of the High Performance podcast, Antonio shared his story on his struggles in recent years and his subsequent yearning for therapy which changed his life.
The 34-year-old said: “I just started disliking the game. I began therapy because I was really struggling.I was going through my divorce and stuff, and I honestly couldn’t get my head around it.
“After we won Conference League, the whole team went out, the gaffer went out, got steaming, a couple of boys didn’t sleep for two days, just got drunk for two days – I was asleep on the coach and went back to the hotel.”
The former Sheffield Wednesday man additionally shared that he was “mentally drained” and opted to take a nap when every one of his colleagues were out “partying”.
Michail Antonio added: “I was just mentally drained because of everything that was going on outside of my football and then I went back to the hotel and went to sleep while everyone was out partying”
Antonio also revealed how he burst into tears uncontrollably whilst speaking to his therapist, indicating that it offered him relief.
The English-Jamaican said: “I started therapy because I was struggling. And how I grew up, it was never a thing. I thought therapy was for crazy people. But therapy changed my life.
“I was just talking to him (therapist) and I just burst into tears. It was uncontrollable. That gave me relief.”
Antonio’s Future At West Ham United
Michail Antonio’s current deal with the Hammers expires in the summer of 2024, having signed a 2-year contract extension in June 2022.
There is an option in his contract that will enable him to remain at the club for a further year, although it is uncertain where his future lies, given the departure of manager David Moyes at the end of the campaign.
Reports indicate that Julen Lopetegui could be the next man in charge of West Ham United and it is unknown if he will stick with Antonio in attack.
Michail Antonio has scored 82 goals and provided 40 assists in 307 appearances for the Hammers across all competitions.
He is very athletic and strong in attack, with his link-up play also impressive, however, he is not a striker who can guarantee 15-20 goals every season.
Anyway, Antonio is expected to be in action for one last time this campaign on Sunday, May 19, 2024, when West Ham United visit the Etihad to play against impending Premier League champions Manchester City.
If the Hammers go on to silence the Cityzens in Manchester, they could be doing London rivals Arsenal a favor, with the Gunners only needing to defeat Everton to be crowned champions.
David Moyes isn’t certain of his side stopping Manchester City, as in a recent interview, he talked about how difficult it will be to stop the Under 14s side of the club, let alone Pep Guardiola’s army.
It will be interesting to see how the final day drama for the 2023/24 English Premier League season unfolds.
