Michail Antonio signs for Watford to end 18-month absence after near-fatal car crash

Michail Antonio has signed a one-year deal with Watford, ending an 18-month absence from English football that followed a near-fatal car crash and a brief spell in Qatar.

The 36-year-old former West Ham striker was involved in a serious road accident in December 2024, which left him with a shattered leg and, by his own account, close to losing his life. After recovering and leaving the Hammers, Antonio had a short stint with Qatari side Al-Sailiya before becoming a free agent again in the summer.

“It’s a good set of boys here,” Antonio said after the move was confirmed. “They are focused and ready to show their abilities this season. Watford is a big club and hopefully I can come in and bring success and help wherever I can. I’ve scored a few goals against Watford, so hopefully I can score some for Watford now when I’m fully up to speed.”

Antonio has spoken candidly about the severity of the crash. “My leg was completely shattered and they got me out and put a splint on it by the side of the car,” he told the BBC. “Everyone believed I got an air ambulance out, but the helicopter couldn’t get off the ground because of the storm, so I was driven to the hospital.”

Seeing the wreckage of his car afterwards only reinforced how close he came to not surviving. “It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach,” he said. “It just made me realise how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess.”

Watford, who currently sit 12th in the Championship after six games, could hand Antonio his debut as early as this weekend when they host Stoke City at Vicarage Road.

Antonio joined West Ham in 2015 and became one of the club’s most important players, scoring 83 goals in 323 appearances and playing a key role in their 2023 UEFA Conference League triumph. Earlier in his career he represented Cheltenham Town, Reading, Colchester United, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, and Nottingham Forest. Moves to both Leicester City and Brentford were explored over the past year but neither materialised.