Michail Antonio: West Ham’s Unsung Talisman

As the quote from Dirty Dancing goes, nobody puts Michail Antonio in a corner. Although much has been written about Johnny Castle’s famous one-liner, at its heart is a message about the expression of talent. In Castle’s eyes, Baby Houseman was simply too gifted to be left aside. She had to be the centre of attention, or else her skill would go to waste. 

Well, the same can be said of Antonio, West Ham’s newly-crowned all-time Premier League leading goalscorer. Soon-to-be a Jamaica international, the 31-year-old has been deployed in eight positions across his six years in East London. Left back, right back, right wing-back, right midfield, right wing, second striker, left wing, and centre forward. 

Of course, the Hammers’ 50-goal man hasn’t excelled in every role that he has been asked to play. During the Slaven Bilic era, West Ham fans often cried: ‘Antonio isn’t a right back’, irked by the fact that their future talisman’s offensive prowess was being wasted in defence. Which brings us back to Dirty Dancing. 

After scoring his record-breaking 48th Premier League goal for West Ham, Antonio sprinted to the bench, grabbed a life-sized cardboard cut-out of himself, and danced like Johnny and Baby. Antonio’s message, although delivered humorously, was clear: he’s to be taken seriously from now on. And rightly so.