"There were the relentless rejections by the clubs in every corner of London as he grew up, culminating in the one from Crystal Palace at 15 that led him to stop playing football for a year. The rebuild at the Wiltshire Sports Academy in Swindon and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Bristol, which led to the big break at Bristol City, and a first professional contract at 17. The loans at Bath City in National League South, Newport in League Two, Sunderland in League One."
"The progression from Bristol City in the Championship to Bournemouth in the Premier League, with international recognition by Ghana thrown in; involvement with them at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But never mind all that. How about this season alone and, more specifically, what has happened to Semenyo since January, when he moved from Bournemouth to Manchester for 65m?"
"The 26-year-old played his part in the Carabao Cup final victory over Arsenal in March his first silverware and it was just an extraordinary moment on Saturday when he scored the only goal of the FA Cup final to sink Chelsea; a spinning, back-heeled, volleyed flick on 72 minutes. Antoine Semenyo played for Newport in League Two during the 2018-19 season."
"It was Semenyo's 20th goal of the season: 10 for Bournemouth, 10 for City. And it reinforced why he is a part of the conversation for the player of the year awards: his 16 Premier League goals have been bettered only by his City teammate Erling Haaland and Brentford's Igor Thiago. It's been surreal, Semenyo says. Everything's just happened so quickly."
Antoine Semenyo’s career includes repeated rejections in London, a year away from football after a Crystal Palace rejection at age 15, and a rebuild through Wiltshire Sports Academy and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. He earned a breakthrough at Bristol City and signed his first professional contract at 17. Loan spells followed at Bath City, Newport, and Sunderland across multiple tiers. He progressed from Bristol City to Bournemouth, then to Manchester City for a reported 65m in January. Since joining, he contributed to Carabao Cup success over Arsenal and scored the only goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea with a spinning back-heeled volley. He reached his 20th goal of the season and added 16 Premier League goals, placing him among the leading scorers.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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