Antoine Semenyo nearly walked away from football after Crystal Palace passed on him during a key trial in his youth.
At just 15, after spending nearly eight months on trial at Crystal Palace, the Ghanaian striker thought he was close to a contract.
“I thought I was getting signed,” he said, reflecting on the moment he hit the post instead of squaring a pass during a key trial game. His dad noticed the manager shaking his head and knew it was over, but kept it from his son for years.
“Yeah, but it was not long ago. Obviously, I was a bit emotional, a bit upset that I didn’t get signed but he didn’t say anything to me. It was only a couple of years ago that he actually mentioned it to me. And I look back and laugh now. But yeah, I think it’s probably better he didn’t tell me then because I was very emotional. I had a lot of anger and fell out of love with the game of football,” Semenyo told Showmax.
The journey that began with rejection at Palace eventually led him to Bristol City and then the Premier League.
