Robins’ star striker eager to shine on the World Cup stage
ANTOINE Semenyo still has to pinch himself at his meteoric rise to the World Cup finals.
When holders France triumphed in Russia during the last tournament, the Bristol City striker had just finished a loan spell with Bath City in the National League South. On the final day of that season, he was handed his Robins debut coming off the bench as a substitute in the defeat against Sheffield United.
Fast forward four years and Semenyo’s footballing journey reached another major milestone when his name was confirmed among Otto Addo’s 26-man squad heading to Qatar. He is the only current Bristol City player flying the flag in the Middle East.
The 22-year-old’s pride and happiness are infectious as he describes the moment he learned of his call-up to play on the biggest stage of them all.
“I woke up and got a call from a Ghana number I wasn’t sure of and I was sceptical about picking it up,” he said recalling his unforgettable moment. “The assistant coach said I had been selected. It felt so surreal, I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I thought it was a fake number at one stage.
“When he told me I was so excited and rolled around in my bed and I was so happy. It’s all the hard work that has gone into it.
“You don’t get so many memories like this, it’s so surreal I am talking about going to the World Cup. I never imagined getting this far.”
Semenyo’s journey to Qatar began at South Gloucestershire and Stroud college when he was headhunted by former Leeds head coach David Hockaday. Their partnership with City allowed the club to offer the then 17-year-old a twoyear contract after being alerted of his potential.
Loans at Bath, Newport County and Sunderland would follow until becoming an established member of the City first-team during the 2020-21 campaign. He ended the season with two league goals during a tumultuous campaign that saw manager Nigel Pearson replace Dean Holden.
A long-term injury knee injury threatened to disrupt his progress at the beginning of last season but he returned to the picture around Christmas to transform City’s attack. His league form would then earn him his international debut for Ghana against Madagascar in the summer.
Semenyo added: “I can’t describe the feeling, I saw my mum and dad in the crowd smiling. My uncles and aunties saw me on TV and it felt so surreal. I can’t wait to get out there again. The family will be out there for sure, 100 per cent.”
His international debut was then marred by a shin injury picked up following his second cap against Brazil that ruled him out of pre-season before eventually returning, and scoring, in the Carabao Cup victory over Wycombe in August.
“It’s been a long journey,” Semenyo said. “Funnily enough, I was speaking with friends from home recently and saying the journey from college to here has been so crazy.
“You’ve got to work hard, be resilient and you have to graft and it gets you to these places, so I am happy. The injuries have been
tough but I’ve massively prepared myself to work hard to make sure I come back better and stronger.
“I study my game and be the best I can be, I have done enough to get where I am now so I have to keep going.”
With Portugal, a bitter 2010 reunion against Uruguay and South Korea in Ghana’s group, Semenyo is under no illusions about the task at hand for his country to progress. This is the Black Stars’ fourth World Cup finals, their first coming in 2006 when the forward was six.
Ghana head into the tournament as the lowest-ranked team but they can take inspiration from 12 years ago when they became just the third African side to reach the knockout stages. That ended in quarter-final heart-break when Asamoah Gyan missed a last-gasp penalty after Luis Suarez’s handball on the line.
There is little expectation that Ghana will cause a big World Cup upset but Semenyo wants to make his country proud.
“The dream is to win, we always want to win. Getting to the Round of 16 or the final eight is definitely the target and I’ll try and get as many goals as I can. Football in Ghana is massive.”
Semenyo said: “We have guys in the Ghana squad that have played in the Prem (Premier League). You can see where the quality is at and it makes you want to work harder.”