Sports
‘Excellent in everything’: Why Man City moved fast to sign Semenyo
What can you remember about the 2019 January transfer window? Brighton & Hove Albion signed midfielder Alexis Mac Allister for £6.5 million, Peter Crouch moved to Burnley and Liverpool transferred striker Dominic Solanke to Bournemouth for £19 million. But Bristol City technical director Brian Tinnion remembers a move that failed to materialize.
Chelsea, then managed by Maurizio Sarri, spent £57 million to sign USMNT star Christian Pulisic and loaned him back to Borussia Dortmund, but also had eyes on a winger at Bristol City. Chelsea offered £1 million to land the 19-year-old version of Antoine Semenyo, but City wanted a touch more. “There was just too much potential there to even consider an offer like that,” Tinnion told ESPN.
Seven years later, Semenyo has been at the forefront of January transfer talk again after Manchester City snapped up the Bournemouth winger for £65 million (£62.5 million initially, £1.5 million in add-ons, plus 10% of next transfer) on Thursday, activating his release clause before it expired on Saturday.
Gone are the days when Premier League teams would haggle over a measly million here or there for him; he has become a genuine box office attraction. But talk to those who’ve seen his rise from when he stepped away from the game a decade ago — disillusioned by having so many academy doors slammed in his face — to now, and there’s no miracle story. It’s a story of hard work, faith, dedication and an unwavering positive attitude.
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‘When he struck a ball, it stayed struck’
Semenyo’s path to the Etihad Stadium started with him navigating his way through the West Country. After failing to latch on at Fulham and Crystal Palace, he took a year out of the game to play basketball. But at age 16, he was tempted back and ended up at a trial day at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. Ex-Leeds boss Dave Hockaday was there scouting for talent for South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS), where he was head of football. Hockaday was impressed by the confident central midfielder and thought he’d be better suited as a forward.
Tinnion was a frequent visitor to SGS matches, scouting for academy talent in his role as head of recruitment at Bristol City back in 2017. “[Semenyo] took our attention straight away, to be honest,” he said. “He really stood out. You could see he had pace and a hell of a shot on him, but there was a lot of work to be done — so that suited us just fine.”
Semenyo was loaned to Bath City in 2017-18 and had to bide his time, but a hat trick against Welton Rovers in the quarterfinal of the Somerset Premier Cup in February 2018 caught attention; it’s still making the rounds on social media.
Four years ago Antoine Semenyo was playing for Bath City in a Somerset Cup quarter-final against Welton Rovers.
Today, the 22-year-old is on the bench for Ghana at a #FIFAWorldCup 🇬🇭#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup https://t.co/E28BBEYBzh
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 24, 2022
You can see glimpses of the player he is now on his first goal as he measures his run onto the through ball from Andy Watkins, glides over the pockmarked pitch and tucks the shot into the near corner, having evaded a late challenge. Behind the Bristol End at Twerton Park, there were 19 supporters — you can count them — and he celebrated in front of the sole photographer.
Then-Bath City manager Jerry Gill watched that goal recently. “He was really spindly back then,” he told ESPN. “But he’d have no fear physically in going up against big defenders … He had the physical attributes then, but you can see how much technical work he’s done. But when he struck a ball, it stayed struck.”
The next season, in 2018-19, Semenyo went on loan to League Two’s Newport County. “I think they played Leicester in the FA Cup on the telly, and he was a real handful,” Tinnion said. “Everybody started talking about him a little bit then, and that’s when the offer from Chelsea came in.”
Semenyo spent half of the 2019-20 campaign on loan with Sunderland. Tinnion said he struggled a bit there, but came back to Bristol City and worked hard, breaking out during the 2020-21 campaign. About four years after that hat trick against ninth-tier Welton Rovers, Semenyo came off the bench for Ghana in the 2022 World Cup against Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Portugal.
“After coming back from there, he had a brilliant spell just before [the January move] for us,” Tinnion said — Semenyo scored four in four matches. “He’d arrived on the stage.” A year later, Bournemouth beat out Crystal Palace to snap him up for £10.5 million as a backup striker to Solanke.
Though he played as a midfielder at school and as a striker at Bristol City, he settled on the flanks. When Solanke was injured for a spell in 2023-24, Semenyo spoke to Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola about returning up front. Training didn’t go to plan, so Semenyo stayed out wide. “I came to Bournemouth with intentions of playing as a striker, but playing out wide, I felt I was more effective getting on the ball,” he said. “So it was a case of coming to that realization that, ‘OK, I am a wide man now.'”
He evolved with Bournemouth’s direct, attacking style. They look to strip the game back to one-on-one duels in attack, and Semenyo has flourished. He contributed 11 goals plus assists in the 2023-24 season, and 20 in 2024-25. “His finishing is so much better,” Tinnion said. “He was always a little bit erratic and would look to hammer and smash everything, but now you see him just placing them in the corner with his right foot, with his left foot, and he’s so much more controlled.”
At the start of the 2025-26 season, he wrote down his aims in his journals. He had already signed a new deal with Bournemouth, saying at the time that he liked to feel appreciated and that it was “God’s work,” so his targets for the season were double-figure goals and assists, and fine-tuning his decision-making on when to pass and shoot. He always keeps an eye on the goalkeeper’s legs and how far apart they are, looking for an angle through them. As of Thursday, he is already at 13 goal contributions this season.
What Semenyo brings to Man City
By Tor-Kristian Karlsen
0:55
What will Antoine Semenyo bring to Man City?
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens debate what Antoine Semenyo will bring to Manchester City ahead of his potential move from AFC Bournemouth.
The Bournemouth winger has turned into one of the league’s most uncomfortable opponents for defenders because of his ability to get through on goal with a variety of skills and threats. Iraola has used him across the front line, and Semenyo can fill practically any role without his level dropping — even as a center forward — though he still looks most natural starting from the left and shifting inside onto his right foot.
His most impactful aspect is arguably his ball carrying due to his explosiveness over the first five meters, plus his ability to reach top speed quickly. Once he finds space, Semenyo tends to go for the direct impact rather than controlled, low-risk progression.
More of a momentum forward who turn games through bursts and dashes, Semenyo is not conceptually a high-volume goal scorer. Yet the trend line is interesting as he’s on 10 league goals from 20 appearances, reaching double figures once again. His expected goals tally (6.7) points to an efficient finisher, while his shot involvement — usually clean, right-footed efforts — and chance-creation numbers match his constantly active presence around the box.
While his dribbling volume is decent (4.1 take-ons per 90 minutes) rather than exorbitant, his off-the-ball work also makes him stand out. With his knack for well-timed “third-player runs” and his willingness to wholeheartedly sprint beyond the ball, he’s an important part of Bournemouth’s direct attack by often giving them a second wave in transition that is difficult to defend. He consistently attacks space with maximum intensity, stretching defensive lines and creating space for others.
Semenyo also offers defensive value as he constantly engages in duels. Even when he struggles to impose himself on the attacking rhythm, the pressing and willingness to regain possession is always present.
While he can function in settled possession sides, he’s clearly at his most dangerous in open, end-to-end matches where the pitch opens up and his power, timing and directness become decisive weapons.
‘Real enthusiasm and energy’
Those who’ve worked with Semenyo talk about his humility, work ethic and eagerness to leave a positive legacy in the sport. Back in August, he reported that he had been racially abused in a match against Liverpool (the individual has denied the allegation and a trial will take place in April). In November, Semenyo met a young Bournemouth supporter named Mylo who had been racially abused at school. The two bonded, vowing to help each other out.
Gill, who was assistant manager at Yeovil until early December, still hears from Semenyo often. “He was messaging me about a player he knew who was looking for an opportunity,” Gill said. “He was saying he’s been a bit unlucky — you know, usual story with injuries and things.
“He’s always inviting me and my boys to come and watch him play. He’s still a very humble young man.”
Jerry Gill (right) was manager of Bath City during Antoine Semenyo’s 2018 stint at the club. Photo credit: Simon Howe/Bath City FC.
All the while, other clubs have monitored him. One expert said he’s a player who hasn’t yet found his ceiling, citing Bayern Munich‘s Michael Olise as a similar example and noting how playing for the German team has improved him. There’s a feeling that Semenyo could likewise flourish; though he’ll need time to adjust after being so attuned to Bournemouth’s style, he has the potential to get even better.
That potential and the personality are why City are open to paying the transfer fee, much to Bournemouth’s sadness. “It’s no secret he is a massive player for us,” Iraola said in late December.
When he makes his Manchester City debut, there’ll be a host of figures who have tracked his journey watching eagerly. From the Somerset Premier Cup to playing for Pep Guardiola, it has been an incredible trajectory.
“He’s had to do the hard yards,” Gill said. “He was excellent in everything he did, the way he carried himself, the way he trained, and has this wonderful smile with real enthusiasm and energy for the game. … If anyone deserves it, it’s definitely him.”
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Mendoza Mania has arrived in the NFL.
The projected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Fernando Mendoza brings one of football’s most unexpected stories to the pros.
Legendary football agent Leigh Steinberg, who has represented an NFL-record eight first overall draft picks, believes what sets Mendoza apart from the other hyped prospects is his words.
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“The way he relates to people,” Steinberg said was the most unique part about Mendoza, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“He seems to have a really nice touch in dealing with teammates. It seems to be a natural leader. He relates well in interviews. He relates well in everything. And so, the job of a franchise quarterback is to represent the franchise, and he becomes the most visible face of a franchise. And you know, he’s handsome. He speaks well, and I think he’s sort of an ideal representative or spokesman for the team.”
How did a kid from Florida who know one saw coming become a Heisman Trophy winner, national champion, and the NFL’s next big thing?
Mendoza’s grandparents fled communist Cuba
The reason Fernando Mendoza is in the U.S. and making his mark on football history is because of a bold decision by his grandparents decades ago.
After Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba and installed a communist regime, all four of Mendoza’s grandparents fled the country and came to America.
“We all thought it was temporary,” Mendoza’s maternal grandfather Alberto Espino previously told The Washington Post of the “There was no way the United States would allow a communist regime 90 miles away.”
But Castro’s reign endured, so Espino and the Mendozas remained in the U.S. and built their life as Americans. That meant American sports.
Mendoza’s parents were star athletes
Both of his parents grew up in Miami, Florida as the children of Cuban refugees.
Mendoza’s father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., was a rower at Brown University and a 1987 Junior World Championships gold medalist.
But Mendoza’s father also played football when he was younger, and was teammates with Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal at Christopher Columbus High School during the 1980s. Mendoza would go on to defeat his father’s former teammate in this year’s CFP national championship game.
Meanwhile, his mother, Elsa Mendoza, played tennis at the University of Miami.
When Mendoza was a child, his mother was diagnosed with a serious disease
Mendoza was born in Boston in 2003 as the first of his parents’ three children, before his family moved back to Miami, Florida where he would grow up.
But when Mendoza was only about four years old, his mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It’s a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that can affect the brain and spinal cord. She has spent the last few years in a wheelchair.
Elsa Mendoza wrote about the experience in a 2015 letter to her sons that was published in The Player’s Tribune.
“I was diagnosed about 18 years ago, but of course you never knew that. You and Alberto were so young, and I was doing fine….. and mostly I didn’t want you to worry. It just felt like this impossible thing to place on you guys. On my sweet boys. And then I kept doing fine until about 10 years ago, when we went skiing and I broke my ankle and knee,” she wrote.
“But even after that, I wasn’t quite ready to tell you — only that my leg hadn’t healed all the way, which is why your mom had her limp. It wasn’t until five years ago, when I got Covid, that things started to go downhill in a way where there was no more hiding it. It was during football season, and I realized I wasn’t going to be able to travel. And the thought of you wondering if I supported you any less, because suddenly I wasn’t at your games? I hated that. So that’s when I knew we had to sit you and your brother down.”
She went on to recall, “how hard of a conversation it ended up being. ‘Your mom has this degenerative disease … and while we don’t know how it will progress, it’s going to start to affect us in a few ways. But it won’t affect us in the ways that matter. We’ll have each other, and love each other, and be there for each other. I promise.'”
He grew up Catholic, and went to an elite Catholic school
As a young boy, Mendoza would gather mangoes from his grandparents’ yard and sell them door-to-door to his neighbors.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to throw a pass during the school’s NFL pro day in Bloomington, Indiana, on April 1, 2026. (AJ Mast/AP Photo)
Not only did he embrace capitalism as a young man, but he also embraced Catholicism.
He later followed in his father’s footsteps of playing football at Christopher Columbus High School — an elite, $18,000-a-year all-boys private Catholic school with a football program.
As the team’s starting quarterback his senior year, he led his team to an 11-3 record and the 2021 FHSAA Class 8A state semifinals.
INDIANA FOOTBALL STAR AND HIS BROTHER TURN THEIR NAMESAKE BURGER INTO BATTLE AGAINST MS
But it wasn’t enough to earn the affection of many college scouts.
As a two-star recruit, Mendoza was ranked the 2,149th-ranked recruit in the country in his high school class. He didn’t receive a single FBS scholarship offer.
He passed on Yale for Cal Berkeley
With limited offers out of college, Mendoza nearly accepted an Ivy League education and non-scholarship football spot at Yale. But instead, he went across the country to try his luck at California, Berkeley.
He wasn’t handed the starting job on day one; instead, he redshirted, studied the game, and quietly earned his business degree from the prestigious Haas School of Business in just three years.
As a quarterback, he earned the starting job in 2023 and 2024, becoming Cal’s all-time leader in completion percentage (66.4%) and tying for 7th in 250-yard passing games.
California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza stands on the field after the game against the Arizona Wildcats at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2022. (Darren Yamashita/USA TODAY Sports)
But his college football career hadn’t even really begun.
The Indiana decision
In 2025, Mendoza made the decision to transfer to Indiana. What followed is considered one of the most unlikely runs in college football history.
He threw for 3,535 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions, completing over 72% of his passes, while also adding seven rushing touchdowns, and won the Heisman Trophy.
“It’s very often not until the end of their [college] career that they show exactly those qualities. So a lot of maturation happened,” Steinberg said of Mendoza’s senior-year surge. “There have been a number of players who were late bloomers… you’re getting them at the height of their arc, and they put it all together. It takes time to read defenses and see the field.”
Then when the playoffs started, he cemented his name in college football history. He threw eight touchdowns with only five incompletions in the initial playoff games against Alabama in the Rose Bowl and Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the national championship game, played in his home town of Miami against his hometown university Miami Hurricanes, he was named the CFP National Championship Offensive Player of the Game, delivering a crucial 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run to seal the title.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds up the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Indiana became the first time in modern college football history to go a perfect 16-0 behind Mendoza’s leadership, making a case for one of the greatest CFB quarterback seasons ever.
Now the real work begins
With the Las Vegas Raiders set to pick first in the NFL Draft this year, Mendoza appears destined for Sin City.
Steinberg believes the fit will work out well football wise and business wise.
“He’s a perfect pick for the Raiders because he’s someone they can build a franchise around. He seems to have the proper leadership skills and motivational ability to lead a team. He’s high character, he’s got physical size. He’s got great arm strength. He’s indicated a number of times that he can bring the team back in critical circumstances,” Steinberg said.
“As a marketing proposition, Las Vegas is the hottest sports town as there is in America… It’s a good environment to be in with supportive fans and companies for sponsorships and endorsements.”
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Mendoza has already filed 12 trademark applications. These filings include his name, “Fernando Mendoza,” “Mendoza,” “Flippin’,” and “HE15MENDOZA,” aimed at covering athletic apparel and merchandising.
“By picking 12 different areas, that pretty much covered the field. And that means that nobody can go ahead and put together distinctive Mendoza [merchandise] without dealing with him,” Steinberg said.
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Rawalpindiz delivered a clinical bowling performance, maintaining pressure throughout the innings to limit Islamabad United to a modest total of 137 in the 34th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Thursday.
Batting first, the former champions were dismissed for 137 in their allotted 20 overs, as RawalPindiz’s bowling attack produced a standout display throughout the innings.
Islamabad United made a cautious start as openers Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas struggled to accelerate, with runs coming at a slow pace in the early overs.
However, Mohammad Amir made the breakthrough on the second ball of the fifth over, dismissing Minhas for six off 11 balls, including one boundary, to end the 20-run opening partnership.
United slipped further in the final over of the powerplay when Naseem Shah joined the attack and removed Mohammad Faiq for five off six deliveries, leaving Islamabad at 29-2 after 5.5 overs.
The pressure mounted in the seventh over when Saad Masood struck, claiming the key wicket of Shadab Khan for just one run, leaving United reeling at 30-3.
Devon Conway and Mark Chapman then attempted to stabilise the innings, sharing a crucial partnership that took the total past the 50-run mark.
However, Daryl Mitchell broke the 49-run stand by dismissing Conway, who scored a fighting 40 off 33 balls, including three fours and two sixes, reducing Islamabad to 79-4 in 11.3 overs.
Asif Afridi added to United’s troubles by trapping Chapman lbw for 23 off 18 deliveries, an innings featuring one four and a six.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as Haider Ali was dismissed for six off 13 balls, again courtesy of Saad Masood, who completed his spell effectively.
Mohammad Amir returned to the attack and removed Faheem Ashraf, who made 11 off 12 deliveries, leaving Islamabad struggling at 99-7 in 16.3 overs.
Chris Green then attempted to revive the innings with a brisk contribution, pushing the total beyond the 100-run mark and adding valuable late runs in search of a defendable score.
However, Islamabad United’s innings ended shortly after, with Green run out in the final over for 29 off 16 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes.
Dian Forrester then wrapped up the innings by dismissing Mohammad Hasnain for a first-ball duck, before removing Richard Gleeson to claim his second wicket.
Cricket’s return to the Olympic Games after 128 years reached an “important milestone” Wednesday when construction began on the new Los Angeles 2028 cricket venue.
International Cricket Council (ICC ) Chairman Jay Shah and other officials took part in a ground-breaking ceremony on the Fairplex Grounds in Pomona, Los Angeles County.
“Our focus has been on expanding the footprint of cricket and being part of the Olympic movement is something that brings both pride and dreams with it,” said Shah.
“The groundbreaking marks an important milestone in cricket’s return to the Olympics and is a proud moment for all ICC members and stakeholders worldwide.”
ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta said the Games would be a significant step in expanding the game outside of its traditional heartlands.
“The momentum for our game has never been stronger, with strong participation growth across the world,” he said.
The inclusion of cricket at LA28 provides a platform to inspire more young people to take up the game, the ICC said, and broaden the fan base across continents, accelerating the game’s global growth.
Cricket at the Los Angeles Games will feature T20 competitions for both men’s and women’s teams.
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