Antoine Semenyo’s journey to professional football was anything but easy.
Long before the bright lights and sold-out stadiums, the Ghanaian striker was navigating one setback after another across London. Between the ages of 12 and 16, he knocked on doors at Arsenal, Fulham, Millwall, and Crystal Palace, only to walk away without a contract each time.
At 15, Crystal Palace let him go after an eight-week trial. Disheartened, Semenyo briefly considered quitting football altogether. But fate stepped in when Dave Hockaday, a former manager turned mentor, urged him to join his youth program at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
“It would have been 12/13. From 12 to 16 years of age, I was going everywhere. I went to Arsenal, went to Fulham, went to Palace, went to Millwall, maybe four or five times. I went to so many teams,” he told Showmax
That turning point reignited his passion and sharpened his talent. Soon after, Semenyo caught the attention of Birmingham City, Crystal Palace again, and Bristol City. In 2017, he finally found his football home at Bristol City’s academy.
