Michail Antonio, West Ham United's all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, has revealed that his journey to becoming the club's go-to striker was far from straightforward — and that it once led to a heated argument and a dramatic exit from training.

In a candid interview with FourFourTwo, Antonio recalled a confrontation with then-manager Slaven Bilic after being asked to play at right-back, a position he flatly refused to occupy. The disagreement escalated when club captain Mark Noble stepped in to argue the case, prompting Antonio to walk out and hail a taxi home.

A player who wore many shirts

Before cementing himself as West Ham's most lethal forward, Antonio was deployed across a range of positions during his time at the club. The versatility that made him useful to managers was not always welcomed by the player himself, who had a clear idea of where he belonged on the pitch.

His refusal to operate at right-back spoke to a stubbornness that, ultimately, served him well. Antonio went on to establish himself as the Premier League's most feared forward in claret and blue, breaking the club's all-time scoring record in the division.

The Noble stand-off

The confrontation with Noble — one of West Ham's most respected figures — underlines just how strongly Antonio felt about the matter. Rather than back down under pressure from both his manager and his captain, Antonio chose to leave altogether, turning a dressing-room dispute into one of the more colourful episodes of his Upton Park-era career.

The story offers a revealing glimpse into Antonio's character: determined, uncompromising, and ultimately vindicated by the goals that followed.