Michail Antonio has revealed a lack of opportunities during his teenage years and financial issues abandoned him on the verge of quitting football.
The West Ham ahead has embarked on his fifth year and scored 26 goals for the Hammers.
Antonio’s time in the English game’s highest level is a far cry from his humble upbringing in football at Tooting and Mitcham United, in which the stresses of existence led him to question whether he had been on the ideal route.
“For me to become a professional footballer, determination was crucial, on and off the pitch,” he told Sky Sports during the launch of Jacamo’s new campaign.
“There was a single point in my football career where I believed I wasn’t going to make it. We did not have much money and my dad always said to me that football was not a job.
“I remember going home 1 evening and telling my brother that I was going to quit football since I was 17 and was too outdated. My brother said he would not let me. He got me my very first pair of real boots and those were the boots I managed to become professional in.”
Antonio had to conquer his own fair share of challenges onto it, as well as overcoming from the pitch.
He was left by A deficiency of vulnerability to academy football behind his peers and lengthened his wait to get the opportunity. When the chance came, he found obstacles obstructing his dream to play at the flight.
But, as Antonio admits, overcoming those challenges has made person and him the player he is now.
“My very best advice is to keep moving, keep pushing until you reach your target,” that the 29-year-old added. “Even if you feel like you’ve reached your peak, then you may always be improved.
“Once I have achieved something, I will always push myself to attain something else. I stated I need to enter the team when I got in the reserves. When I got into the first team, I wanted to get in the Championship and then I needed to get into the Premier League.
“It’s a constant struggle, you have got to show yourself to fresh players, both new managers and the lovers. I scored nine goals and had 11 assists in the Championship and was doing better than players in my place, but once I talked to Premier League supervisors, they informed me I was not consistent .
“Getting consistent enough to get in the Premier League continues to be my biggest challenge. I have kept having to pick herself up and move again.
“Because I did not move through the academy program , I missed out on a lot of the method work so I would head out before and after instruction to reach the stage I am at.
“Now I have played for nine different clubs, I’m at the Premier League and I have been called up for England.”
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