From 5am Non-League Trips to the World Cup: The Antoine Semenyo Story

When Antoine Semenyo signed for Bournemouth in 2023, the first thing he did was send a bottle of champagne to David Hockaday. On the label were just two words: “hunger and belief”.

An unlikely thank-you? Maybe. But for the 26-year-old Ghana forward now heading to the World Cup with the Black Stars after a £65m move to Manchester City, Hockaday was the man who saw something when everyone else saw nothing.

The trials that broke him
Born in Greenwich, London to Ghanaian parents Larry and Dela, Semenyo grew up with a ball at his feet. His dad, who played alongside Tony Yeboah in Ghana’s top flight, drilled him from age 6: kick “paper, a can, anything” with both feet. It worked – by 6, he was two-footed and dreaming pro.

But the academy dream nearly died early. Trials at Arsenal, Tottenham, Millwall, Crystal Palace – all no’s. At 16, after an 8-week trial at Palace failed, Semenyo was “deflated, disillusioned and ready to give up on football altogether.”

The man who didn’t give up on him
Enter David Hockaday. The former Forest Green Rovers boss spotted Semenyo by chance at a trial at Bisham Abbey. Semenyo only went to “see where his fitness was.”

Hockaday saw something different: “He looked lost. There was a vacancy in his eyes. No belief. He was looking for somebody to help find himself.”

He didn’t stand out that day. But Hockaday couldn’t shake the “itch.” He tracked down Semenyo’s parents, earned their trust, and brought the teenager into his team at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, South West Counties League.

For a season, Hockaday became alarm clock and chauffeur. 5am pickups from Swindon digs. Banging on doors. Driving Semenyo to games across the south west. In the car, they talked football. Hockaday’s mantra: _hunger and belief_. It stuck.

“They couldn’t control him,” Hockaday says. “Once he started growing, he became this force of nature.”

Non-league graft → Premier League stardom
That belief paid off. January 2018: first pro contract at Bristol City. Then the hard yards: loan to Bath City in non-league to learn how to “protect with his arm, shield the ball, spin and slide” against men. Loan to Newport County in League Two. FA Cup heroics that had Chelsea circling.

Bristol City recalled him, but the breakthrough stalled. Red card vs Derby. Disappointing loan at Sunderland. Managers came and went. It was Nigel Pearson’s arrival and a decision to “turn to youth” that unlocked Semenyo alongside Alex Scott.

Ex-Bradford striker Nahki Wells became his “big brother” mentor: “He had the pace, the ability and a skill level that was underappreciated at the time.”

2021-22: 8 goals, 12 assists. 2022-23: 8 goals, 2 assists. Crystal Palace, the club that rejected him at 15, now wanted him back. Too late. Bournemouth paid £10m in Jan 2023.

Perfect fit for Andoni Iraola’s high-energy system. 32 goals + 13 assists in 110 games for the Cherries. Ten goals in half a season of 2025-26 had Pep Guardiola calling. In January 2026, Manchester City paid £65m.

World Cup with Ghana, FA Cup hero
From SGS College to the Etihad. From 5am non-league trips to scoring the winner vs Chelsea in the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Now, 11 goals and 3 assists for City later, Semenyo lines up for Ghana at the World Cup vs England – the biggest game of his life.

“Don’t prove them wrong, prove you right, prove me right,” Hockaday told him after every rejection. “All he was doing was proving himself right.”

Hockaday still meets him every off-season. “If there’s anything he’s not sure about he knows he can call me and he does. I just feel pride being able to say I’ve been part of his journey.”

The lesson
Semenyo’s story isn’t about overnight success. It’s about 5am starts, failed trials, loans in the rain, and one coach who saw “moments” where others saw nothing. It’s about a kid from Greenwich with Ghanaian roots who chose hunger and belief over quitting.

As he steps onto the World Cup stage, Semenyo carries more than Ghana’s hopes. He carries the belief of a few people who refused to let a down-and-out kid slip away.

From non-league to the world stage. Hunger. Belief. Semenyo.

Source :BBC