Antoine Semenyo has admitted that choosing to represent Ghana over England at international level was an easy decision for him.
Semenyo was born in England to a Ghanaian father and a French mother and was eligible to play for any of the three countries.
The 26-year-old however opted to play for the Black Stars and made his national team debut in 3-0 win over Madagascar in June 2022.
Speaking during an interview, Semenyo revealed that he had no difficulty choosing to play for Ghana, as he prepares to play at his second World Cup tournament this summer.
“Ghana came at 20, 21? and I can’t turn down playing first team for Ghana, so it was such an easy decision”, Semenyo said.
“No [it was] never a difficult decision. I was never in the England rankings like that anyway,” the Chelsea-born forward added. “My dad was so happy [when I chose], celebrating.
He was like: ‘Yeah, you didn’t play for England!’ They were just happy, everyone in my family was so happy,” he continued.
“They support Ghana…I couldn’t even tell you. They watch games and it’s crazy; shouting, kicking stuff in the house. It’s serious.”
Semenyo will go up against the country of his birth as Ghana face England during the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Black Stars will also face Croatia and Panama as they hope to advance from the group stage into the knockout stages at the showpiece event.
“It’s going to be tough, but yeah, I’m looking forward to it”, Semenyo added.
“It’s a tough group because you can’t underestimate Panama. You think it’s easy, but it’s not that easy. It will be a tough game; they won’t be a pushover.
“Croatia and England are obviously top teams. Trying to get out of the group is what we want essentially, but it’s not going to be easy at all”, the Manchester City forward concluded.
Semenyo’s priority for now will be ending the season strongly as Manchester City battle Arsenal in the title race, before turning his focus to the World Cup.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
