When Antoine Semenyo signed for Bournemouth, he sent former Leeds United manager David Hockaday a bottle of Champagne.
An unlikely duo? Perhaps. But if anyone can take credit for Semenyo’s rise, it is Hockaday.
On the label of the bottle read the words “hunger and belief”.
Words that resonated with Semenyo so much as a teenager that, at the biggest moment of his career to that point, he felt the need to reiterate them to the man who instilled them in him.
Semenyo’s journey to the top has been a complicated one. The failed academy trials, the 5am starts to play non-league football, the thoughts of quitting the sport altogether.
But, now aged 26, it has all led to this. Representing Ghana on the biggest stage at the World Cup.
A humble, determined man, his remarkable rise is rooted in his resilience and the belief of a select few people who saw something in a down-and-out kid searching for his big break.
This is the Semenyo story.
Born in London to Ghanaian parents Larry and Dela, Semenyo and his brother Jai grew up in Greenwich with a ball almost permanently attached to their feet.
It should be little surprise Semenyo is now so adept with both his right and left feet given his father, who played alongside Tony Yeboah in Ghana’s top flight, encouraged him from a young age to kick “paper, a can, anything” with both feet.
By the age of six it came naturally to Semenyo – and the dream of becoming a professional footballer was born.
His talent was spotted and encouraged by his parents, who sent him on trials at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall before an eight-week trial at Crystal Palace aged 15.
None of those avenues proved successful.
At 16, Semenyo was deflated, disillusioned and ready to give up on football altogether.
Enter Hockaday.
Semenyo headed to a trial session at Bisham Abbey, later saying he only went to see where his fitness was compared to the other hopefuls. Little did he know that this particular trial would be the one to change the trajectory of his career.
“When I first came across him he was lost,” Hockaday told Sport.
“He looked lost. He talked lost. There was a vacancy in his eyes. There was no belief. He was looking for somebody to help find himself.”
By chance, former Forest Green Rovers boss Hockaday was at Bisham Abbey that day and, upon arrival, was asked to help out with the trials Semenyo was taking part in.
He helped with some drills before observing a series of matches and was “surprised” when the teenager’s name did not come up after.
“He didn’t rip it up, didn’t look anything particular, but he had moments and I believe that’s what these trials are all about. I just saw a young lad who could deal with the football with both feet – inside, outside – without even thinking about it,” Hockaday said.
“He wasn’t in the greatest physical shape, but he moved well. He had a good pair of shoulders and he looked like physically he was going to become a specimen in the right environment.”
Hockaday thought that was the last he had seen of Semenyo. But something had not quite sat right.
“I am good at spotting talent,” he said. “I’ve described Antoine to his family as an itch that I just couldn’t get rid of.”
The itch needed to be scratched. Hockaday doesn’t recall how, but in the weeks following he tracked down Semenyo’s parents, explained to them who he was and said he’d like to help their son.
“We met up and somehow, in some way, they trusted their son into my hands. And that’s when our relationship started.”
