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Few moments this season captured the return of fans to English football grounds in more hilarious, esoteric and downright magnificent fashion than when Michail Antonio hoisted a cardboard cutout of Michail Antonio high into the London Stadium night, celebrating the goal that made him West Ham's record Premier League goal scorer.

The moment Antonio unleashed one of sport's most bizarre celebrations brought with it an avalanche of questions. Was this a Save the Last Dance bit or a Dirty Dancing reference?  How was he going to top this for his next landmark celebration? And, perhaps most pertinently of all, what on earth was Antonio doing with a life-size model of himself? After all the 32 year old is no rampant egotist, he hardly seems the sort who would need a two dimensional representation of themselves to buff up their ego.

The answer to that latter question, he reveals to CBS Sports, is an even more spectacular celebration that he had in mind when the only way fans could experience Premier League football was on their television screens.

"I had those cardboard cutouts (yes there is another one) for another reason in lockdown," says Antonio, speaking to CBS Sports in an exclusive interview facilitated by club sponsor Betway. "I tried to put them in the stands. And then when I scored I would have had two of them in the stands and I would have sat in between them, applauding."

The past few years have robbed us of plenty of remarkable experiences. All the crueler that they could not even compensate football fans around the world with the sight of Antonio in the flesh, flanked by two cardboard models of himself, celebrating another goal for West Ham.

This might have been the crowning moment for the Picasso of Premier League celebrations, the man who has spiced up his goals even further with magic carpets, the worm and Carlton from the Fresh Prince. At least there should be plenty of opportunities for Antonio to better it when he celebrates further landmarks.

After all, seven years into his West Ham career, Antonio cannot see himself playing for another team ever again. Having risen through the ranks from non-League Tooting and Mitcham United to the Premier League, rarely stopping at any club for more than a few years, he has long since established himself as a senior figure at the club that he used to watch from the Boleyn Ground stands.

Antonio has certainly settled into a groove in David Moyes' squad, the consummate professional on the pitch and a maker of merriment off it. He lights up when asked to explain the dressing room tradition of eggyboffing, "a dressing room punishment" that only the most tightly knit of groups can get away with. "If someone's last to come in, you go eggyboff them, do not speak to them. They will come in -- everyone likes to greet everyone in the morning -- and they'll walk to you. they'd be like, 'good morning' and you have to ignore them."

Declan Rice was the most recent recipient of this hilarious form of hazing but Antonio has his eyes set on a greater prize. "Have we ever tried it on the gaffer? No. I've suggested it a couple of times, to be fair, but the boys have crumbled. The boys have crumbled! I feel before the end of the season it might happen."

Established dressing room presence he might be, just don't call him a veteran. "Veteran!?" he laughs. "I know I'm getting up there. It's the first time being called it, but it's not definitely not going to be the last."

He might not like the label but he relishes the responsibility. "It is quality. I'm really enjoying it. I get to speak to young players and tell them about the experiences that we had over the last seven years. The number of times we've had to fight relegation, the number of times it's gone down to the end of the season to whether we're staying up or not.

"Compared to where we are now, it has been a massive change. What we're doing now -- fighting to be as high as possible in the league -- it is completely different."

Not only are they still pushing for a top six finish or better in the Premier League, West Ham find themselves three games away from a first European final since 1976, perhaps even a first continental trophy since 1965.

Midway through their Europa League quarterfinal with Lyon (catch all the action on Paramount+), the tie is evenly balanced with David Moyes' side having responded impressively to Aaron Cresswell's first half red card to earn a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium, a ground which has become a cauldron of noise on European nights as the players live up to the "West Ham are massive" chant that has serenaded them through their odyssey.

Reflecting on that first leg, Antonio is convinced there is cause for optimism in how the Hammers managed to match their French opponents even when the numbers were against them. "It shows the resilience that we've always shown, it shows that doesn't matter if we lose a player, we can dig deep, drive and keep pushing ourselves," he says. "We're able to play with 10 men against a quality team in Lyon, managing to score a goal and hold out for basically 50 minutes of a game.

"It shows the quality that we have, that with 11 men we can win the game."

Do so and they may find themselves in what has become the dream tie of neutrals ever since Barcelona dropped down from the Champions League. Xavi's side have work to do themselves after being held to a 1-1 draw by Europa League specialists Eintracht Frankfurt. Antonio would have been happy to wait even longer to face La Liga's rising force but he is entitled to note that no team in this competition should hold any fear for West Ham. After all, Sevilla had never lost a two legged tie to English opposition before they came to the London Stadium.

"I didn't want to play Barcelona until the final, I'm going to be honest. It's one of those things where I want to get to the final, I want to win it and if we can do in the easiest way possible, then I would want it that way.

"But obviously, Barcelona being there and being the next step -- if they beat Frankfurt -- if they do do it, and we get to go to the Nou Camp, it's amazing. It's every boy's dream.

"It would be quality. And the way we're playing right now, the way we've been in the Europa League, the resilience that we've shown, the quality that we've shown, we believe that we can beat anybody."

As for Antonio, there are plenty more individual accolades to chase as well as those for the team. Every goal he scores and assist he provides aids the winning cause after all. Though he has struggled for the former of late, he has at least offered a counterbalance by laying on plenty of opportunities for his teammates.

It doesn't take him long to pick his favorite of late, his exceptional twisting and turning on the edge of the Sevilla penalty area before hanging a cross to the back post for Tomas Soucek to draw the Hammers level in their round of 16 tie.

"A lot of it is instinct, to be fair. I've got the ball and I wanted to take a shot at the edge of the box," he explains. "But I got closed down from my left side and I had to move the ball quickly on my right to my left. Then they come again, so I moved it again.

"I've chopped it down the line. I just knew Tomas will be there so I didn't even look up. I just held it up to the back stick, knowing he will be there, waiting for it."

West Ham's top provider could be the next landmark he reaches. His eyes light up when CBS Sports puts it to him that he is just 14 behind club captain Mark Noble in the race to be West Ham's leading Premier League assist provider. "Now I'm going for it!"

For now, he says, he has no great celebration planned for the landmark, if and when he reaches it. But then it would be a shame to spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?