Antoine Semenyo says choosing Ghana over England was never a difficult call. He says the chance came when he was 20 or 21, his family backed Ghana heavily, and a childhood memory of Ghana's 2010 World Cup quarter-final loss to Uruguay stayed with him. He has now turned that decision into a second World Cup with the Black Stars.
Family and memory shaped the decision
Semenyo told mirror.co.uk: "I got a call from Ghana when I was 20 or 21, I could never say no to that. I've already got to represent my country at a World Cup, and now I'm heading into my second one."
He was even more direct on the wider choice. "I was never in the England underage teams, so never thought of it as a possibility. My family also loves Ghana, they all support them. My dad was so proud when I played for Ghana. I'm creating memories playing for a country that means a lot to me. It was an easy decision back then and one I'm proud of today."
The timeline backs that up. Ghana called him up on May 26, 2022, and he made his competitive debut against Madagascar on June 1, 2022. The sequence shows this was not a loose association or a late flirtation with the idea, but a quick move into the senior setup.
England adds the personal edge
The World Cup meeting with England gives the story another layer. England and Ghana last met in 2011, when they drew 1-1 at Wembley, and this game is scheduled for June 23 at Gillette Stadium, with kick-off at 9pm UK time.
Semenyo has already started the friendly needle. Speaking to mirror.co.uk, he said: "I've told Nico [O'Reilly], Marc [Guehi], and John [Stones] I'm coming for them! There will probably be some banter in the build-up to the game, and it will be great to go up against them. Obviously, I've played against them for Bournemouth before and trained so much with them at City now, so I know what to expect, but this is a whole new stage."
That reunion angle matters, but the bigger point is still the choice itself. Semenyo did not frame Ghana as a backup option. He framed it as the obvious one, and his quotes make that position hard to argue with.
The football side is in decent shape too. He scored 17 goals last season across Bournemouth and Manchester City, and Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in their most recent World Cup match. Those numbers do not change the reason he gave for picking Ghana, but they do explain why he arrives with confidence rather than as a passenger.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →