Michail Antonio: Jamie Vardy's rise inspired West Ham winger to snub Jamaica and wait for England call

The former Tooting & Mitcham player is the only uncapped player in Sam Allardyce's first squad

Antonio almost cried when he received the call from Allardyce (Getty)

Michail Antonio has revealed that his call-up for Sam Allardyce’s first game as England manager came less than six months after he rejected the chance to play for Jamaica due to Jamie Vardy’s rise from non-league to the international stage.

West Ham winger Antonio, 26, is the only uncapped player in Allardyce’s squad for Sunday’s opening World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in Trnava.

The former Tooting & Mitcham youngster has capped a meteoric rise with his call-up having only made his Premier League debut with West Ham last season following a £7m move from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015.

But after being handed the chance to represent Jamaica earlier this year, Antonio admits that he waited for an England chance after being inspired by Leicester City forward Vardy.

“Jamie Vardy has been a massive inspiration,” Antonio said. “He was one of the reasons why I turned down Jamaica because I thought ‘I’m not too old.’

“Jamie was a person who I thought – he’s come through everything I have done and he’s been called up at 28.

“Rickie Lambert was 30 when he got his first cap and Ian Wright came through non-league and I think he turned professional when he was 23 and was called up for England when he was 26.

All these people were at the back of mind and I was thinking – if these guys can do it then why can’t I?

&#13; <p>Michail Antonio</p>&#13;

“All these people were at the back of mind and I was thinking – if these guys can do it then why can’t I?

“I was at Sheffield Wednesday when Jamaica first spoke to me and said ‘we might call you up,’ but they didn’t actually call me.

“In March, they said they wanted me to come and play for them but I said I feel like I could possibly get into the England set-up.

“It was one of those things when it was more like hope more than believing I would do it. But now I am here.”

Antonio’s performances for West Ham, both at full-back and on the wing, have prompted Allardyce to hand him the opportunity to break into the senior team during training at St George’s Park this week.

Antonio's inclusion was announced following a goal against Manchester City (Getty)

And although he shunned Jamaica in order to wait for England, Antonio admits his call-up on Sunday evening was a bolt from the blue.

“It was an absolute surprise,” he said. “I have only cried once, when my baby boy was born, and I nearly cried when I found out I had been called up. I welled up and thought I was going to cry and had to take a moment to control myself.

“I spoke to the manager as soon as I came in. I said: “thank you for the opportunity” and he said: “there is no need to say thank you to me. The stats alone show why you should be here.”

“He said: “go out and prove it”. I said “thank you, I will.”

Antonio believes that his grounding in non-league has proved a crucial factor in his rise to the top with West Ham and England,.

Having avoided the Academy system, developing his talent in the unforgiving arena of non-league football, Antonio insists that his rough edges make him stand out from the crowd.

“The way I play, some managers are going to like me, some managers are not going to like me,” he said. “I'm not that Academy player who's going to pick it up, pass it and be neat and tidy all the time.

“I'm a player who's going to get it and I'm going to run at the full-back. I'm going to be running in behind. I'm quite ragged.

“People say raw -- and some people don't like raw. Some people like it to be neat and tidy, but you can't be neat and tidy and also be rising above people at the far stick to score goals.

“Everything I do is reaction. That's why some people don't like it.

“But yes, at one stage when I was 17. I just felt that I didn’t think it would happen for me. I had my brother behind me and he said ‘Mike, I believe you have quality and you have got it – you have the ability to do it so keep on going and pushing’.

I have only cried once, when my baby boy was born, and I nearly cried when I found out I had been called up.

&#13; <p>Michail Antonio</p>&#13;

“I have got a self-confidence in myself that I have the ability but felt I was not being lucky and was an unlucky person. It looks different now.”

Tooting & Mitcham provided Antonio’s grounding, however, and he admits that he repays the Isthmian League club at every opportunity.

“During the summer, I've got my own coach and I went there to do some technique work, some off-season work, just to keep myself trained up and work on things that I know I'll need to work on,” he said.

“They let me use the facilities for free, but then I also go back there and go and speak to the kids there.

“I say, “If you want to become something, don't ever hesitate. Don't ever feel like you can't do it. It's all doable. Just look at my path, look at where I've come."

“And that's before I've played for England -- not played yet, but hopefully play for England. And now I can go back there and say "Look, I've been called up by our country."

“Where I grew up, kids were quite bad and people wouldn't really have expected for me to go from there to where I am now.

“I always believe that people need to strive and push forward and keep going for your dreams and never give up. It doesn't matter what age you are.”