I was rejected by Chelsea and Arsenal academies - Antoine Semenyo

Black Stars striker, Antoine Semenyo, has revealed how he faced several rejections at clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, and others in his early years as a youth player.

Antoine Semenyo, who grew up in the United Kingdom, dreamt of playing in some of the well-established clubs in England but unfortunately, he was never given the chance.

Speaking about the challenges he faced as a young player, Semenyo said, "I think I went to Millwall four times, went to Tottenham, went to Arsenal, went to Chelsea, I went to so many clubs and I just got the same result: never making it. I remember Palace being the last place being rejected."

The Bournemouth forward noted that at one point nearly he gave up on football to focus on his education after several rejections.

"Being so young I couldn't really cope with the emotions of rejection. I was like, I felt like I needed to take a break, go back to friends, go back to school, just focus and recuperate, give myself a year to calm myself down because I felt like the rejection was so much," the striker said on SuperSport.

Adding, "That was obviously a tough part of my life but yeah, I felt like it built character and the mentality I have now, so I'm grateful."

Semenyo’s breakthrough in football was at Bristol City where he went through the ranks as a youth player before earning promotion to play in the senior team.

JNA/NOQ