'I could've punched him in his face!' - Michail Antonio reveals identity of referee who drove him MAD as only threat of lifetime ban stopped him fighting match official on the pitch
Antonio, who is West Ham's record Premier League goalscorer having struck 68 times in England's top flight for the Hammers, recalls one particular defeat, against Bayer Leverkusen in a Europa League quarter-final tie back in April 2024, that made him so angry that he was ready to punch referee Artur Soares Dias in the face.
Scroll down to read about why Antonio was left so enraged by the match official, as well as one hilarious clash he had with Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire and how a certain former Swansea City winger was one of very few players to get the better of him. You can watch the full episode of the Best Mode On Podcast via YouTube and Spotify.
'THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A FIGHT'
Antonio, who has left West Ham following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2024-25, first recalled a funny story involving a tussle with United centre-back Maguire. He said: "I remember once, Harry Maguire, I'm a heavy man, 94kg, Harry Maguire, somehow, the ball's come in, I've jumped to chest it and he's held me like a child and threw me. I've fallen straight on my face and the referee went: 'Play on'. I'm like: 'How on earth can you not see I've been carried like a child?' [But] that wasn't the worst decision."
Referring to a Europa League clash that the Hammers would lose 2-0, a result they couldn't turnaround as they were knocked out by Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, Antonio added: "That isn't the worst decision. Quarter-finals, Europa League, we played Bayer Leverkusen, we lost. That was the worst refereeing I've ever experienced in my life. I didn't get a single decision. I could've punched him [referee Soares Dias] in his face. If it wasn't for a lifetime ban, there would've been a fight on the pitch."
'I'M JUST CHASING SHADOWS'
Discussing some of the toughest opponents he's come up against, Antonio referred to Eden Hazard and ex-Swansea City forward Mo Barrow as being the only two that caused him serious problems, back when he was asked to play right-back for West Ham. He said: "Nobody else [I would come up against knowing I had a tough evening ahead]. Only [Eden] Hazard... what was annoying about Hazard, I was quite egotistical when I was playing in defence, I was like: 'No one's going to be beat me - if they try to go past me I'm just going to put my arm across him and take the ball'. I was so confident.
"But with Hazard, I couldn't get near him. He was so annoying. He would get the ball and drive inside. Because he's driving infield I'm always a distance away from him. I'm just chasing shadows. Do you know who ripped me the most? You wouldn't know who he is. Mo Barrow - Swansea. I've marked [Antony] Martial, Hazard, [Marcus] Rashford, all these people, I've done well. But the one who ripped me the most was Mo Barrow."
'HE NEEDS TO LEAVE!'
Antonio currently leads West Ham's all-time Premier League goalscoring charts with 68 goals to his name. Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen is, however, fast closing in on his former team-mate's tally, and is now just 12 behind of the 35-year-old ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season. That's not lost on Antonio, who joked that the England international should be sold to avoid him claiming the record: "This is what's annoying me about Jarrod, he's 12 goals away from me.
"I'm like: Give me at least five years of me chilling [with the record]. It was there for like 20 years [before] and now you want to take it from me within four years?! What are you doing?!' He needs to leave! I don't care. I know West Ham fans will be mad at me for saying it but he needs to leave!"
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🚨 BREAKING: Wolves complete move for AZ's David Møller Wolfe
Wolves have added further quality to the senior team after losing key names this summer, with the club confirming a completed deal for AZ and Norway left-back David Møller Wolfe. After the loss of Rayan Aït-Nouri to English giants Manchester City, the Midlands club needed an established presence on the left side of the back line under Vítor Pereira, with the 23-year-old arriving at the Molineux in a deal worth just under £10m (€11.5million). A defensive stalwart at AFAS Stadion across two seasons in the Eredivisie, making 92 appearances for De Kaasboeren across all competitions and helping the club remain a top-five presence on the domestic front. The twelve-time capped defender will link up with compatriot Jørgen Strand Larsen, who joined the club on a full deal from Celta de Vigo earlier in the summer window. 📸 Alex Bierens de Haan - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘The most difficult decision I have made' – Heung-min Son says he wants to leave Tottenham this summer
Heung-min Son says he wants to leave Tottenham this summer after ten years at the club. The South Korea international joined Spurs in 2015 and would go on to become the club's fourth record goalscorer and fifth record appearance holder. And after captaining the club to the Europa League trophy last season, he says he now wants to play in a different environment. 'It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career,' he said. 'I have spent 10 years at Tottenham. The main reason is I have achieved everything I can at Tottenham. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge. I'm grateful the club have respected my decision and wish Spurs well for the next season. 'It's a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself to get more out of me I think I needed a little bit of change. 10 years is a long time. 'I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn't speak English. I leave this club as a grown man. 'Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that.' On the reaction from his Spurs team-mates to the news, he said: 'I spoke with only a few guys, ones I've spent a long time with. 'Obviously they're disappointed, as a friendship or as a team-mate you'd be very disappointed if someone decided to leave, but in a respectful way. 'Obviously I'm very close with Ben (Davies) so we've spoken about the future a lot of times. 'Obviously he fully respects my decision. So does everyone. What can I say? It's very, very hard to tell my team-mates because I sometimes probably spend more time with them than my family because we're travelling together, spending time together every single day at the training ground, five or six hours every day. I think we know each other so well. 'Everybody was disappointed but also in a way very happy for me. That was my feeling but I don't what they were actually feeling. They seemed happy but disappointed when I told them my decision.'
New York Times
8 minutes ago
- New York Times
Benjamin Sesko: Newcastle make €80m bid for RB Leipzig striker
Newcastle United have made an offer worth €80million for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. The bid is comprised of €75m up front with a further €5m in potential add-ons, and was tabled by Newcastle in the past 24 hours. The Athletic reported on July 24 that Newcastle were considering a move for the 22-year-old in the event that Alexander Isak leaves the club, with the Swedish striker wanting a transfer this summer. Advertisement Newcastle have rejected a formal £110million offer from Liverpool for Isak but the Premier League champions retain a strong interest in the 25-year-old. Manchester United are also interested in Sesko and the Slovenia striker is yet to make a firm decision on his preferred destination. Sesko had been monitored by Arsenal before the north London side opted to pursue a move for Isak's compatriot Viktor Gyokeres, who they signed last month in a deal worth €63.5million (£54.8m; $74.2m) plus €10m. Chelsea had also admired Sesko for several years, though they moved to sign forwards Liam Delap and Joao Pedro earlier this summer. Sesko's Leipzig deal runs until 2029, having signed a new contract last year, which was expected to include a gentleman's agreement that would allow him to leave for the right project. His previous deal contained a €65m release clause. The Slovenia international joined Leipzig in 2023 from Red Bull Salzburg, with both clubs owned by the Red Bull GmbH conglomerate. He has made 87 appearances for Leipzig, scoring 39 goals and providing eight assists. He made his senior Slovenia debut the day after his 18th birthday and has scored 16 goals in 41 games, representing his nation at the 2024 European Championship. Liverpool had previously communicated their interest in doing a deal for Isak in the region of £120million ($162m) though Newcastle's stance had been that the Swede was not for sale. Isak did not play in a friendly against Celtic or join the team's pre-season tour of Asia, with the club stating that this was down to a minor thigh problem but sources, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly, indicate the forward favoured being omitted with his future uncertain. Isak is currently training alone at his former club Real Sociedad. Advertisement Analysis by German football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor Reasonably well, but it was not the season he needed to produce to assuage the doubts. While his overall level of performance improved in the broader sense, with Sesko becoming more connected with the rest of the Leipzig side, his goalscoring numbers were down. He scored one fewer Bundesliga goal (13) in 2024-25 than he did the year before, despite playing almost an extra 900 minutes. He was never able to replicate that seven-game streak from the previous year, either, meaning that it felt underwhelming as a result, despite some eye-catching goals (particularly against Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena). But Leipzig had a bad season. They sacked Marco Rose in March, limped to their lowest finish since being promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016 and only won one game of their eight Champions League games. That's valuable context. Nevertheless, consistency was still an issue for Sesko and the gap between his best performances and his worst, which is a historic criticism, remains too wide.
