By Harry Mottram: Antoine Semenyo is in the Ghanian squad for this summer’s World Cup in the USA – despite being born and brought up in England. After failing to make it as a professional footballer in his teens he dropped out of the game. A teacher in Gloucester managed to change his mind and he was soon playing for local teams before being signed by Bristol City. It was there he was loaned out and appeared at Twerton Park for the Romans. In 2018, Antoine Semenyo scored his first Romans goal and would go on to net a hat-trick in City’s 8-1 Somerset Cup Quarter Final win over Welton Rovers at Twerton Park, Bath.
In the past there have been a number of international players at Bath including Scotland’s Charlie Fleming in the 1950s and Stan Mortensen for England after the war. Some may recall Antiguan Dan Bowry – while in the very early days several military men briefly played for City while stationed in the area – often due to the two world wars.
All eyes will be on how England and Scotland get on in the World Cup but for some in the area Ghana’s Semenyo will be one player to watch. Ghana play England on June 23rd.
The article below is by FIFA – and I have included it in full.
The Ghana star spoke to FIFA about his rise to prominence, his proud family roots, facing England and wanting to make history.
Semenyo: Ghana want to show that we are a top nation
- Antoine Semenyo has been speaking to FIFA
- Ghana attacker reflects on his meteoric rise
- Believes the nation can do “special things” in North America
When Antoine Semenyo travelled to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, he could have been forgiven for thinking he’d reached the pinnacle. After all, his trip to the biggest tournament in sport came just over five years after he’d quit football as a dissatisfied teenager.
“I went to quite a few academies between 11 and 15. Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Fulham, Millwall. Crystal Palace was my last trial at 15,” he told FIFA in an exclusive interview. “I went there for two months, didn’t get in, and (was) very frustrated that I wasn’t signed by any of the teams. I just ended up giving it up and focusing on school. I gave up for the year, enjoyed just being normal.”
After a year out of the game, he was coaxed into giving it another try by former Leeds United coach Dave Hockaday, who was head of male sport at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. Semenyo excelled in a series of friendlies versus professional academies, prompting Bristol City to sign him in 2017.
Loans to Bath City, Newport and Sunderland followed, before the forward enjoyed his breakthrough year in 2020/21, playing 50 matches and scoring seven times. The next season, Semenyo returned 20 goals and assists from 32 Championship matches. That form caught the eye of Ghana, who called him up in May 2022 for AFCON qualifying. Despite living his entire life in England, the chance to represent his parent’s birthplace proved a no-brainer.
“My mum and dad are Ghana through [and through]. They never really mentioned anything about England,” he admitted. “Obviously, living in England, you get the conversation of: ‘Oh, you should represent England’. But it was never a conversation I ever had, really. Ghana came in when I was 19, 20, so I was never going to turn it down.
“I feel like watching Ghana play in the World Cup was so special. Mum, Dad, uncles, aunties, cousins all turn up to one house, and we’ll watch all the games together, celebrating, screaming, all the emotions and above. It’s everything – it’s so special.”
Just over five months on from his debut against Madagascar, Semenyo’s family were now watching one of their own play on global soil. While he managed just 19 minutes across two substitute appearances as the Black Stars fell at the groups in Qatar, Semenyo believes that tournament will stand him and his side in good stead.
“It was very surreal,” he admitted. “At that time, I was still at Bristol City, so it was so special. But I feel like now, I just want to prove – and we all want to prove – that we’re a top nation. Since that last World Cup, a bit of experience has come in. I feel mentally a lot stronger, I feel healthy and I’m 100 per cent. So I want to contribute the best way I can.”
Semenyo moved to Bournemouth in January 2023 and quickly became a hit with the Cherries faithful. His rise continued from there, with Manchester City parting with more than £60m for his services earlier this year. Now a regular for one of the biggest clubs in the world, the deciding goalscorer in the FA Cup final, and on the brink of playing at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Semenyo is a world away from where he was just a decade earlier.
“It’s surreal to be honest. I speak to my friends about it all the time. I didn’t think I would ever make it this far,” Semenyo stated. “I thought just being a professional was enough – signing for Bristol City was enough for me. So, to say that I’m going to (another) World Cup… yeah, it’s amazing.”