- Semenyo Faces World Cup Pressure After Stellar Club Season — Gyan
Former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan believes Antoine Semenyo will face enormous pressure at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the forward prepares to carry a major part of Ghana’s attacking hopes on football’s biggest stage.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Gyan acknowledged the growing expectations around Semenyo, whose outstanding performances in England have made him one of the Black Stars’ most important players.
“There will be a lot of pressure on Semenyo going to the World Cup,” Gyan said. “People back home have questions about his performance when it comes to the national team, but as a former player and a striker, I have to be in his shoes.”
The former Black Stars captain said Semenyo’s rise at club level has naturally increased expectations among Ghanaian supporters, particularly because of the standard now associated with him.
“There will be a bit of pressure because of where he’s playing now,” Gyan added. “When you’re playing for one of the best teams in the world and you come into the national team, there will be a lot of expectations.”
Semenyo has enjoyed a remarkable season that has elevated his standing among the Premier League’s top forwards.
After scoring 10 goals and providing three assists during the first half of the campaign with AFC Bournemouth, he secured a high-profile January move to Manchester City.
The Ghanaian forward continued his rich vein of form at the Etihad Stadium, adding seven more league goals and finishing the season among the division’s leading scorers.
He also delivered on one of the biggest stages of the English football season, scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea to cap a memorable campaign.
While Semenyo has flourished at club level, Ghana’s preparations for the World Cup have been far from ideal.
The Black Stars head into the tournament after five consecutive defeats against Japan, South Korea, Austria, Germany and Mexico since securing qualification for the global showpiece.
That difficult run also triggered a change in the dugout, with veteran Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz replacing Otto Addo in April.
Although Queiroz has introduced a new tactical approach, Ghana are still searching for a confidence-building result ahead of the tournament.
Despite the team’s struggles, Semenyo remains central to Ghana’s hopes of making an impact at the World Cup.
His tally of 17 league goals this season has strengthened his reputation as one of the country’s most dangerous attacking players and increased the belief that he could become Ghana’s decisive figure in attack.
The 26-year-old is expected to shoulder much of the Black Stars’ attacking responsibility when the tournament begins.
However, his international scoring record has yet to fully mirror his club form, a gap that has become part of the conversation around his role in the national team.
For Gyan, who carried Ghana’s attack through several major tournaments, the pressure on Semenyo is understandable. The former captain knows better than most that elite club form can raise national expectations quickly, especially when a country enters a World Cup searching for a new attacking leader.
The challenge for Semenyo will be to translate his confidence, movement and finishing from club football into a Ghana side still adjusting under a new coach. For the Black Stars, his form may be one of the few clear positives heading into the tournament.
For Semenyo, the World Cup now offers both a burden and an opportunity: the burden of expectation, and the opportunity to turn a brilliant club season into a defining moment in Ghana colours.
