Antoine Semenyo’s journey from non league ‘bully’ to World Cup star with Ghana

Antoine Semenyo’s senior football journey began in front of fewer than 400 fans. Tonight he’ll grace the World Cup in front of 64,000 fans at the greatest sporting event on earth.

The Manchester City winger stands as a shining beacon for Ghana and will serve as their primary attacking threat when the Black Stars clash with England in a pivotal group stage encounter in Boston at 9pm on Tuesday, June 23. Victory for either side will secure top spot in Group L and with it, progression to the knockout rounds.

England will begin as overwhelming favourites, especially after they dazzled in an opening 4-2 triumph over Croatia, while Ghana struggled to a late 1-0 success against Panama. Yet Semenyo himself embodies triumph against the odds. The 26-year-old faced rejection from numerous clubs multiple times during his youth and stopper playing for a year at 15. Here, our sister title the Manchester Evening News recounts his astonishing story.

After taking a break from playing the game that would later make him a global star, Semenyo returned to the sport via college football, rather than the academy route.

That secured him a trial and subsequently a deal at Bristol City at 18. The Robins then sent him on loan to Bath City in the National League South. His boss during his four-month stint was former Birmingham City and Cheltenham Town star Jerry Gill.

Gill has since followed Semenyo’s progress with fascination, having given him his first start in men’s football for a Somerset Premier Cup fixture against Welton Rovers. The teenager responded with a hat-trick and founf the net six times in nine outings for Bath.

“I threw him in and he scored a hat-trick and that was the trigger really,” said Gill. “We gave him an opportunity, and the rest is history. He was feared by a lot of defences and made a massive contribution.

“It was all down to him, he had to come in and hit the ground running. He was so refreshing because you don’t get that physical attribute with an academy player and that was what he had.”

Semenyo was a beast even back then. He saw red during his loan stint at Twerton Park and loved to tussle with battle-hardened non-league centre halves as Bath outfit chasedf the play-offs before coming up six points short.

“Even then he would bump centre backs and put them on the floor,” recalls Gill. “If the ball was up in the air between him and the centre-back, he’d look at the centre back first and he’d bump him on the floor and get him out of the way.

“It was never anything malicious. It was just at that time he was working out how to use his body, which I can see now, I mean if anyone tries to get the ball off him now there’s no chance.”

It’s something Semenyo himself mentioned when speaking to the All Out Football Podcast earlier this year. “When I went to Bath, players are playing for mortgages, they need to pay bills and they need wins.

“It was tough at the start, I was getting red carded, pushed around, elbows flying,” he said. “Gradually I got used to it and started performing.”

Semenyo was put forward to Bath by former professional Dave Hockaday, who had worked with him at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. Gill subsequently observed him play twice for Bristol City’s academy teams and spotted sufficient promise to bring him in on loan.

And while he was struck by Semenyo’s natural ability, it was his mindset and dedication that distinguished him.

“We trained Tuesday and Thursday nights but he would train in the day at Bristol City and then train with us on those nights,” said Gill.

“I’ve had some loan players that they’ll come and go ‘oh it’s a bit cold on a Tuesday night, I’ve trained today, this is a bit like hard work’. But Antoine trained like a Trojan.

“Whenever he came in he had a lovely big smile on his face, he never moaned, never whinged, always got on with it. In fact we had to speak about managing his load at times with Bristol City to make sure we wouldn’t overcook him because he would just do it without asking!

“He took to the group, you get judged as soon as you come in as a young player by the senior players and he came and he wasn’t brash, he wasn’t a loud boy, he was quiet but as soon as he went out on the training ground that’s what gave him the respect with the way he trained and then suddenly his ability comes through.

“He was loved by all the staff and the fans. He’s just a lovely, lovely lad who’s getting the success he deserves.”

Gill acknowledges that he never envisaged Semenyo featuring for one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, but sensed there was a player capable of reaching the pinnacle of the game.

And while there wasn’t a spectacular backheel strike at Bath like the one witnessed at Wembley when he won the FA Cup with the Citizens in May – ‘the cross would have bounced awkwardly to him on our surface’ Gill quipped – there was an incident that confirmed teenage Semenyo as a player destined for greatness.

“So I always wind up this lad called Robbie Cundy, who I eventually signed and then sold to Bristol City actually for decent money and he is now at Cheltenham and is a solid player,” said Gill. “So he was playing for Gloucester City and a ball went up in the air and Antoine looks at Robbie, Robbie looks at Antoine and Antoine just bumped him and stuck him on his a***.

“Then he took a touch and drilled the ball in the bottom corner with his left foot. That is when I was like ‘yeah this is it’. Firstly, to bump a centre back who is six foot two, and then have the composure, the skill and the ability to go and finish it. That was the moment where I thought ‘yeah, this boy has got something special’.”

Semenyo has demonstrated just how exceptional he can be since joining City and is now spearheading his nation’s campaign at the World Cup. It’s quite the journey from the Somerset Premier Cup.