Pakistan, May 31 -- Antoine Semenyo is set for his second World Cup with Ghana, this time as an established Premier League forward, but he came close to abandoning his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Now at Manchester City, Semenyo is expected to play a key role for a Ghana side led by new coach Carlos Queiroz, after the Black Stars failed to qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations. Four years is a long time in football, as Semenyo's meteoric rise since Ghana's group-stage exit in Qatar so vividly demonstrates.

Semenyo managed just 19 minutes across two substitute appearances in a disappointing 2022 World Cup campaign, but barely a month later he made the step up to the Premier League after joining Bournemouth fro...