Antoine Semenyo goals for Bournemouth don make news dis season, im latest effort set di club on dia way to dia first ever win ova defending Premier League champions Manchester City.
Di 24-year-old don establish imsef for di Cherries’ starting XI, im be regular for Ghana and dem don link am wit moves to di likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle, but im path to di game elite no easy at all for am.
Semenyo, wey be Christian say im dey pray bifor and during games, im tok how im endure more dan im fair share of rejections during im teenage years, wit unsuccessful trial spells wit di Gunners and Spurs alongside di ones for Crystal Palace, Fulham and Millwall.
“As a 15- or 16-year-old, you no know how to cope wit your emotions – being so high, being so upset all di time,” Semenyo tell Football Focus.
“I bin doubt myself well-well but I get positive parents. Dem always dey tell me say life no go always be a bed of roses.
“All of dem na experiences pesin go through. But definitely e help me and motivate me to dis day.”
Di most painful for Semenyo na wen im find out say Palace no go sign am – na setback wey cause am to believe say im dreams of becoming a professional don end.
“I bin dey dia for maybe eight months and I love evri moment,”Im tok.
“My papa tell me say im see one moment during a game wia I suppose pass di ball to somebody, and I shot and miss. And im see di coach for one corner just dey shake im head.
“From dat moment, im say im know say dem no go sign me. Dem call me inside office and tell me di bad news.
“I remember wen I go back inside di car, I bin dey emotional, I bin dey cry.”
Semenyo decide to concentrate on im schoolwork and enjoy time wit friends, im spend one year out of di game.
Afta im lace up his boots again for open trial, di forward eventually join South Gloucestershire and Stroud College football academy, wia Bristol City pick am up.
Semenyo still dey rank di day for January 2018 wen im sign im first professional deal wit di Robins as di proudest moment of im career.
“I remember dat day like yesterday, and I remember di look for my mama face,” Im tok.
“She bin dey so emotional, so happy for me, so proud. Dat one always dey my head.
“I go cherish dat moment for life.”
Progress under Iraola
Afta loan spells wit Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland, Semenyo score 21 goals in 125 games for Bristol City bifor Bournemouth sign am on a fee of ova £10m for January last year.
Im take six months to adapt to di top flight under Gary O’Neil bifor Andoni Iraola take ova.
Semenyo credit di Spaniard wit developing im game and helping am to get on di scoresheet more frequently.
“Im player management dey so good. Im dey very forthcoming and honest,” e tok.
“We dey look through games [to see] wia I fit improve, wia I fit be position-wise, and wia I fit score more goals and dey more effective for di team.
“Di main tin im tok na say make I dey for back post all di time, and dat na di tin wey Im dey complain about me last year.”
Semenyo strike against Manchester City – na im fourth Premier League goal of di season. Im don set imsef a target for di campaign, but im say im no go reveal am publicly.
“I get number for mind, but I go keep dat one to myself,” Im tok.
“I get one journal wia I dey I write my goals for di year and di only pesin wey know about am na dat na my brother (Jai, wey dey play for National league side Eastleigh).”
Fatherly influence
Semenyo say im younger brother dey see am as a “role model” and, although dem dey” always argue”, di ambition na one day to face off against each oda for Premier League.
Football certainly dey run for dia blood, as dia father Larry bin play for Okwahu United and Advance Stars for Ghana Premier League.
But, onto say dem born am and raise am for London, Antoine no get much chance to appreciate im talents.
“Wen we small, im bin dey go play for some local teams,” im explain.
“All our family members dey remind us say na im be di best, dem say im better pass us, and dem dey tok about am all di time.
“But no video, so unfortunately we no get to see am.”
Afta games, Semenyo still dey receive feedback from im papa, wey bin dey veri happy wen Antoine receive im first Ghana call-up for 2022.
“My muma bin dey cry for phone. My Dad no really dey jump up too much, but im bin dey so excited,” Semenyo reveal.
“Na honour to play for Ghana. Na dream come true.
“I love to go back to our home kontri to see family, see friends as well. Dem dey so eager about football.”
Semenyo faith also dey inspired by im family, even though say im parents’ Sunday church make am “hard to go games”.
“I wan learn more about God and wetin im don do for my life,” Semenyo tok, im dey attend church whenever im fit.
Im also like to tok to one pastor for touchline for di Vitality Stadium bifor evri home game, im credit di ritual wit improving im mentality.
Off di pitch, Semenyo kotinu to study di Bible, but also share im spare time between gaming, to carry im 10-month-old dog Bailey waka and gist wit team-mates as part of Bournemouth unofficial coffee club.
“Na Alex Scott, James Hill, Marcus Tavernier, Ryan Christie from time to time, Dean Huijsen as well,”Im tok.
“We go just go afta training and siddon for three, four hours, to spend time wit each oda.
“I feel say dat chemistry wey we get off di pitch dey follow us for pitch.”
And as for dos rumours about a big money move in di near future?
“Family members and friends [dey] constantly sending me stuff, but I try not to take notice too much,” Im tok.
“My mentality na just to focus, kotinu to do wetin I dey do, and den if sometin happun, e happun.”
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