✭ 🇬🇭🍒⚽ ANTOINE SEMENYO – FROM REJECTION TO PREMIER LEAGUE STAR (BOURNEMOUTH & GHANA) 🇬🇭🍒⚽ ✭

Football For Kids

Darren Rees

Sports, Soccer, Stories For Kids, Kids & Family

4.8 • 756 Ratings

🗓️ 16 August 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

www.kelloggsfc.com AD FREE and Exclusive episodes: https://www.patreon.com/c/Footballforkids In this episode of the Football For Kids Podcast, Darren Rees tells the inspiring story of Antoine Semenyo – the Bournemouth goal-scoring machine and Ghana international. Born in Chelsea in the year 2000, Semenyo’s journey has been anything but easy. From kicking a ball in the park with his dad, facing rejection after rejection at clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham and Crystal Palace, and even nearly giving up football completely… to finally breaking through with Bristol City, battling through tough loan spells in non-league and the lower leagues, and then becoming a multi-million pound Premier League player with AFC Bournemouth. We’ll hear how Semenyo grew up watching the Africa Cup of Nations on TV with his family, dreaming of heroes like Didier Drogba and Asamoah Gyan – and how that dream came true when he went on to wear the Ghana shirt himself at international level. But this episode doesn’t stop at the goals and glory. We also talk about the serious issue of racism in football. On 15 August 2025, Semenyo was racially abused while playing at Anfield. We explain why this is so wrong, why racism has no place in football or anywhere, and how kids can learn to always choose kindness, bravery, and respect. 👉 Perfect for kids and families who love football, this episode is about never giving up, chasing your dreams, and standing up for what’s right. If you love football stories and want to be inspired, then you won’t want to miss this episode about Antoine Semenyo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, did you know that the Kellogg's summer football camps are in full motion and you can claim a free day?
0:06.9	All you've got to do is head to www. Kellogg'sfc.com and enter the code 7349.
0:16.8	Terms and conditions apply subject to availability.
0:33.6	Ready to upgrade your next Premier League match day, introducing Seat Unique, the home of unforgettable live experiences at the biggest events. Enjoy premium perks including gourmet food, all-inclusive drinks, stylish lounge experiences and much more. Watch the Premier League like never before. Starting from just £132 per person including booking fee. Visit seatunique.com and upgrade your next match day to a premium experience. Hello and welcome to the Football for Kids podcast with me, Darren Reese.
1:20.5	In this episode, we're going to be speaking about a player who almost called it today with football.
1:26.4	A player who faced rejection but made his way
1:29.8	through and ended up playing for Bournemouth in the Premier League and for Garner on one of the
1:36.0	biggest stages of them all. Yes, of course, in this episode, we're going to be speaking
1:42.0	about the Bournemouth goal scoring machine, Antoine
1:45.6	Semenio. Antoine Semenio was born on the 7th of January in the year 2000. He was born in Chelsea,
1:54.0	England, not a million miles away from Stamford Bridge, a place where he scored a thunderous
2:00.4	goal earlier this year.
2:02.9	Semenyo was born into a family where football was important.
2:07.5	His Ghanaian dad, Larry, was a professional footballer himself,
2:11.3	and it's reported that he played in the Garnayan top division for quite some time as a midfielder. So football was running
2:19.8	through Antoine Semenio's blood from the moment he was born. As I mentioned earlier, Semenio was
2:26.6	born in Chelsea, London, and it was in England and in London where he grew up with his brother
2:31.6	Jay, who is also a footballer. Anyway, rewind a bit because Semenio has said he wasn't always mad about football.
2:40.0	He's not always loved it like he loves it today.
2:43.0	He used to go to his local park of his dad and they would kick the ball about.
2:48.0	But, as he said, initially he wasn't mad for it. He was more
2:53.2	attracted to sports like basketball, but it said that as time went by, he became more and more
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 17 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Darren Rees, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Darren Rees and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.