michail antonio is weighing retirement and expects to decide by the middle or end of June after speaking to a few clubs. The 36-year-old former West Ham United forward said the next move could still be another deal or the end of his playing career.
Antonio Talks to Clubs
“I’ve been talking to a few clubs,” Antonio said. “We’re going to see what they offer but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking I could possibly retire.” He added: “I’m not too sure yet, we’re just going to weigh up everything that comes our way and make a decision probably by the middle of June, or the end of June.”
That decision point comes after a stop-start stretch in which he returned to action for Jamaica at the Gold Cup last June, then moved to Qatar in March to join Al Sailiya on a deal until the end of the season. He made a handful of appearances there, and that short spell has now ended because the deal expired.
West Ham, Brentford and Leicester
Antonio’s latest crossroads follows a difficult year that began with a badly broken leg after his Ferrari crashed into a tree in December 2024. He did not play for West Ham again after that accident, closing a 10-year run at the club.
Last summer, he was out of contract and came close to signing for Brentford and Leicester before the Qatar move gave him another route back onto the pitch. Now he is back in the same position: looking at offers, weighing whether to keep playing, and deciding whether the next chapter is another club or retirement.
Jamaica and Al Sailiya
The timing matters because Antonio has already shown he can return to action after the crash, but his recent club stint has ended without a long-term deal attached. A move in June would extend a career that already survived one major setback; retirement would close it on his own terms after 10 years at West Ham, a brief run with Al Sailiya, and a return for Jamaica at the Gold Cup.
Either way, the decision is his by the middle or end of June. For now, the only certainty is that he is talking to clubs and treating retirement as a real option, not a throwaway line.
