Sankofaonline Sports Desk
Long before Antoine Semenyo wore the Black Stars kit, before the goals and the call-ups, there was a quiet football field in London and a social game organized by the Old Mawuli Students Union (OMSU); alumni of Mawuli Secondary School in Ho, Ghana. It wasn’t a tournament. It wasn’t even competitive. It was a community gathering, a moment of reconnection, and a chance for Vida Semenyo’s old schoolmates to coax her and others out for some weekend fun. Her son, Antoine, joined in.
That day, he wore his first Ghanaian jersey , not the national team’s, but Mawuli’s iconic green and yellow stripes. It was his mother’s school colors. And in the photograph taken that afternoon, he’s the only player with his right hand resting on the ball. A quiet gesture, but one that now feels symbolic. Among the thirteen men in the picture, it was Antoine who instinctively claimed the ball , as if drawn to it by something deeper than play.
Born in London, Antoine holds French citizenship through his mother and British nationality by birth. But his roots run Ghanaian. His father, Larry Semenyo, once played midfield for Okwawu United in the Ghana Premier League. Though Antoine never saw his father play, family stories painted vivid portraits of Larry’s skill and passion. Relatives often teased that Larry was “better than all of you,” sparking a healthy rivalry between generations.
That photo , undated, unassuming, and joyful , may be one of the earliest visual clue to Antoine’s footballing identity. It wasn’t just a game. It was his first instinctive touch of Ghanaian football, wrapped in family, heritage, and the colors of Mawuli Secondary School. A quiet beginning that would one day echo on the international stage.
This is inspiring