From Rejection to Redemption: The Antoine Semenyo Story

Once upon a time, Antoine Semenyo nearly made a choice that ensured that nobody ever heard his name but fate would have his story be one of rejection to redemption. On this day, he is not unknown. You can easily imagine him sitting at home while representatives of England’s biggest clubs call him one after another, trying to lure him ahead of the transfer window. It almost feels like the best solution would be for his agent to gather everyone interested and simply hold an auction.

The list of clubs circling is impressive. Manchester City and Liverpool. Chelsea, from Antoine’s own part of London. But more than anything, it serves as a reminder of how far his brilliant performances at Bournemouth have taken him, and of the fact that he was once the one going from club to club. Not to weigh offers or negotiate contract details laid out in front of him, but simply to find someone willing to give him a chance.

The Antoine Semenyo Story

Antonie Semenyo: The Beginning Rejection

Old Larry, once a teammate of the legendary Tony Yeboah, drove Antoine around to what felt like every club in London during his teenage years, searching for an opportunity. They knocked on doors one by one. First came Arsenal and Tottenham, approached with a mix of hope and youthful bravado, but neither was willing to give him a chance. At first they thought they’d simply aimed too high, but when Millwall and then Crystal Palace delivered the same verdict, the doubts became impossible to ignore. The most painful moment came when he spent eight weeks training with Palace, only for the club to ultimately decide not to take him into their academy.

At that time it looked like rejection to redemption was impossible for Semenyo and it it hit hard, especially the one by Palace because for a while it seemed like they were willing to take him only to deny him a chance to prove himself. He searched for answers everywhere but nobody could definitively tell him why.

That final disappointment was meant to be the last. Semenyo’s confidence collapsed completely. He took the rejections as proof that he simply wasn’t good enough to become a footballer. For a year, he didn’t kick a ball. He stopped playing sport altogether, and his weight ballooned.

Run and Shoot

His future was uncertain. All he had left was the support of his family, who continued to push him to believe that an opportunity would come. At his father’s urging, he signed up for an open trial, a common occurrence in cities like London where countless kids struggle to be seen. There, he was noticed by a man named Dave Hockaday.

Semenyo completed his schooling while playing for college teams coached by Hockaday. He shone at tournaments. Before he fully realized what was happening, numerous clubs came knocking. Ironically, Crystal Palace were among them, eager to correct their earlier mistake, but Semenyo chose Bristol City instead. Hockaday was working in their academy, and it meant he wouldn’t have to move away from Swindon.

Two loan spells followed, at Bath City and Newport. Every step he took was carefully considered and guided solely by what was best for his development. Big names and tempting offers meant little if they involved a leap into the unknown. He’d already experienced disappointments that nearly pushed him away from football altogether and into depression.

That mindset also explains why, as Bristol City’s standout talent, he didn’t complain when Bournemouth’s excellent scouting department flagged him to Andoni Iraola as a potential signing, only for the club to reject two bids for him. By that point, Semenyo had already achieved significant milestones, including his debut for Ghana, for whom he also featured as a substitute at the 2022 World Cup. Still, he wanted all parties involved to be satisfied, especially Bristol City, the club that gave him his real opportunity and the right environment to develop.

He also remembered the advice given to him by Nigel Pearson, who coached him during another loan spell, this time at then-League One Sunderland, when Semenyo was frustrated by a lack of minutes. “I asked him why I suddenly wasn’t playing,” he recalled. “He told me that my biggest qualities were running and shooting, and that I shouldn’t waste time and energy on vague or unnecessary things. Running and shooting would be more than enough.”

A Relentless Force

And here he is now. Semenyo, once an overweight boy with an unfulfilled dream, running and shooting more than ever, and doing so brilliantly. Under Iraola and his brand of football, he’s been given the perfect context for the qualities Pearson identified, a system designed to shorten the distance from winning the ball to reaching the opponent’s goal as much as possible. Semenyo is a key cog in that machine, which is hardly surprising given Iraola’s obsession with finding the right context for the players at his disposal. He demands immense effort without the ball, knowing it’s the only way his style can succeed in such a demanding environment.

The end product of that effort has been on full display this season. Those two goals against Liverpool at the very start. Turning Manchester United into regular victims. On the pitch, he’s a truly relentless force, constantly attacking space and demanding the ball, fueled by a confidence he once thought he’d lost forever.

For a long time, he really was unknown, even unwanted, unsure himself of what his future held. Now he stands on the verge of choosing the destination of a once-in-a-lifetime transfer and heading to the World Cup as the leading star of the Ghana national team. Yet he’ll never forget the tears in the car, nor the thorny path that led him to his long-awaited chance.