Ghanaian striker Antoine Semenyo who currently plays for Bournemouth in the Premier League, has opened up about the early struggles in his career that nearly led him to give up on his dream.
Semenyo, who started his professional career at Bristol City, was loaned out to lower-tier teams Bath City and Newport County, before having a loan stint with Championship side Sunderland in 2020. It was only after these loan spells that he finally got a chance to play with his parent club, Bristol City.
The 23-year-old striker's dream of playing in the Premier League materialized in January 2023, when Bournemouth paid £10 million to Bristol City for his signature, in a four-and-a-half-year deal. Semenyo scored his first league goal on 30 April 2023, in a 4-1 home win over Leeds.
In an interview with Supersport, Semenyo revealed that he was rejected by several top-tier clubs, including Chelsea and Arsenal, in his early years. The constant rejection was hard for him to cope with, and he even considered taking a break from football.
“I think I went to Millwall four times, went to Tottenham, went to Arsenal, went to Chelsea, I went to so many clubs and I just got the same result: never making it. I remember Palace being the last place being rejected,” he said.
“Being so young I couldn’t really cope with the emotions of rejection I was like, I felt like I need to take a break, go back to friends, go back to school just focus and recuperate, give myself a year to calm myself down cause I felt like the rejection was so much.
“That was obviously a tough part of my life but yeah I felt like it built character and the mentality I have now, so I’m grateful,”
However, Semenyo persevered and his hard work and determination eventually paid off. He has made 32 appearances, scored eight goals and assisted twice in the Premier League this season.
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