Antoine Semenyo faces World Cup pressure as Ghana's new face of football – Asamoah Gyan
Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has warned that Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo will carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders at the upcoming World Cup, with expectations soaring following his meteoric rise at club level.
Speaking to Sky Sports at a PUMA launch event in New York for Ghana's World Cup kit, Gyan acknowledged the mounting pressure on the 28-year-old striker as he prepares to lead Ghana's attack in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"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.
"There will be a bit of pressure because of where he's playing now. 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.
"He's the face of Ghana football right now because of his position and what he has done for himself. Everything is going to depend on Antoine Semenyo for this World Cup."
Semenyo joined Manchester City in January from Bournemouth, having scored ten Premier League goals with three assists for the Cherries in the first half of the season. He hit the ground running at the Etihad, adding another seven league goals to finish as the third-highest scorer in the league, and scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Gyan praised Semenyo's all-round ability, describing him as very good with both feet, with impressive agility, pace and strength. "He has done so well for himself for now," he added.
However, the build-up to the World Cup has been far from smooth for Ghana. Carlos Queiroz was appointed as the new head coach in April after the sacking of Otto Addo, who had steered Ghana to their fifth World Cup in the last six editions but also bore responsibility for the team's failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Since qualifying for the World Cup, Ghana have not won any of their five friendlies. The Black Stars lost to Japan, South Korea, Austria, Germany and most recently Mexico on 23rd May, with a 2-0 defeat extending the winless run.
Gyan expressed confusion over the team's contrasting fortunes. "Sometimes it's a bit confusing how we didn't qualify for AFCON and then we did so well in the World Cup qualification," he said.
"When you watch our World Cup games and then the AFCON qualifiers, there was a huge difference. There were a lot of criticisms around but the World Cup is huge. We deserve to qualify for the World Cup in terms of how we played in the qualifiers. But in the AFCON qualifiers, it was a big disaster."
Ghana will face Wales in a friendly on Tuesday before opening their World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on Thursday, 18th June. The Black Stars will then face England in Foxborough, Boston on Tuesday, 23rd June, before concluding the group stage against Croatia in Philadelphia on Saturday, 27th June.
Gyan identified the England clash as the fixture every Ghanaian wants to win. "For everyone in Ghana, that is the game they want to win," he said. "When it comes to world football, England are up there, but as a Ghanaian, I have to root for my boys.
"We need to make sure we stay focused because it's different to friendly games – anything can happen in a tournament. We shouldn't think about England or how they're going to perform. Our main focus is to qualify from the group stage. But England against Ghana is a cracker."
Gyan is the only Ghanaian to have scored against England, netting a late equaliser in a 1-1 friendly draw at Wembley in March 2011. He recalled the moment with fondness.
"When the game was made, I was like, 'this is it, I just want to do something for my national team.' It was even one of my best games for Ghana and I scored in the last minute. It was a great moment.
"When the World Cup draw was made, I saw the game in my mind. We made history and I've been part of that game to score that incredible goal. I'm very happy about that especially playing against England."
Ghana will be hoping for an even better result in Boston next month, with Semenyo now tasked with delivering the goals that could propel the Black Stars out of a challenging group.
This response is AI-generated, for reference only.
