Antoine Semenyo speaks on ‘In the Mixer’ (Image: ALL OUT FOOTBALL)
Manchester City star Antoine Semenyo is relishing the possibility of playing against England at the 2026 World Cup. This is despite the fact that had the circumstances unfolded differently, he could have been headed to the United States to represent the Three Lions this summer.
Semenyo, 26, will travel to the biggest sporting event on the planet as one of Ghana’s prized assets. It’s been almost exactly four years since the winger made his senior debut for the Black Stars and has since developed into one of the team’s most valuable players.
This summer, Semenho will play against his country of origin, as well as Croatia and Panama in Group L. In retrospect, the Football Association could have been more thorough in its reinforcements after failing to sign a £64m player.
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“I’ve never been in the England rankings like that anyway,” he told The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet. “I was 20 or 21 years old when I came to Ghana? And you can’t turn down playing for the Ghanaian first team, so it was a very easy decision.”
Antoine Semenyo could have played for England too (Image: Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
Mr. Semenyo, who was born in London to Ghanaian parents, was always quite likely to have his loyalties tested if his country of origin called on him. But there was one family member who was much more relieved than the others that the phone didn’t ring.
Recalling his first cap for Ghana in May 2022, Semenyo said: “My dad was so happy and celebrating. He was like, ‘Oh, you’re not playing for England!'”
“The whole family was very happy. They are rooting for Ghana…I couldn’t even tell them. They were watching the game and it was crazy. They were screaming and kicking things in the house. It’s serious.”
Antoine Semenyo speaks on ‘In the Mixer’ (Image: ALL OUT FOOTBALL)
Semenyo’s father, Larry, is a soccer player himself and played in Ghana’s top league. He also shared the field with Tony Yeboah, who went down in the history books as one of the greatest finishers Africa has produced.
The Black Stars are not riding high, with Semenyo insisting that moving on from the group is their immediate priority. And he’ll have at least a few loved ones in the U.S. cheering him on.
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Asked if his family would fly out to watch him play, he said, “I think so, yeah.” “Your father and mother will probably be there. Your uncles and aunts will probably be there too. There will be a lot of them.”
Asked if he was relishing the possibility of playing England in the second group match, he said: “Yes, it’s going to be tough, but yeah.”
The only previous meeting between England and Ghana was a friendly in 2011 that ended 1-1. Despite Thomas Tuchel’s side making it through qualification unscathed, Semenyo and his teammates will be delighted to pull off the tournament’s biggest upset when the two sides clash at Gillette Stadium on June 23.
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