Antoine Semenyo Says Cape Verde's World Cup Run Only Surprised People Who Weren't Paying Attention
Antoine Semenyo watched Cape Verde become one of the stories of the 2026 World Cup, and none of it surprised him. Speaking to CNN Sport in Hong Kong, the Manchester City forward said he had already seen what Cape Verde were capable of, back at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, where Ghana faced them and came away rattled.
"It wasn't news to us, but it obviously was to the rest of the world," Semenyo told CNN, recalling that AFCON meeting.
A World Cup That Backed Him Up
Nine of Africa's ten representatives at the 2026 World Cup reached the knockout rounds, with Morocco going furthest, into the quarter-finals. For Semenyo, that spread of results is the continent catching up to what players like him already knew from playing against these teams.
Ghana's own campaign ended in the Round of 32, built on a defensive foundation that included a goalless draw with England in the group stage. Semenyo played every minute of it.
The Record Before the Record
The World Cup capped a personal breakthrough. Before the tournament, Semenyo had already scored 17 goals in a single Premier League season, a mark that put him past Tony Yeboah's tally for the most goals by a Ghanaian player in one Premier League campaign.
He named Yeboah, Asamoah Gyan and Didier Drogba as the players who made him want to do the same as a kid watching from England, where he was born to Ghanaian parents. His own path ran through England's semi-professional leagues before he broke into the top flight, later than most players who reach his level.
City After Guardiola
Semenyo joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in January, while Pep Guardiola was still in charge. Guardiola's ten-year spell at the club has since ended, with Enzo Maresca taking over. Semenyo said he has noticed tactical overlap between the two managers' approaches, and that City's ambition, to compete for every trophy available, hasn't changed with the appointment.
He pointed to physical strength, pace and an entertaining style as the traits he carries from his Ghanaian roots, and said representing the country his parents grew up in matters to him as much as anything he has done at club level.
