BY GRACE ZIGAH
Ghana international Antoine Semenyo says surpassing Tony Yeboah’s long-standing Premier League scoring record has strengthened his determination to inspire the next generation of Ghanaian footballers.
The 26-year-old forward enjoyed a remarkable 2025/26 Premier League campaign, scoring 17 goals to become the Ghanaian player with the most goals in a single Premier League season.
Semenyo’s tally eclipsed the previous record of 12 goals held by Ghana legend Tony Yeboah, who reached that mark during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 Premier League seasons.
Breaking the record has particular significance for Semenyo because Yeboah was among the footballers he admired while growing up. The forward also identified former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan and Ivorian great Didier Drogba as players who influenced his ambitions.
“Tony Yeboah is a player I always looked up to. Asamoah Gyan too, (former Ivory Coast star) Didier Drogba, the names are endless,” Semenyo told CNN Sports.
Having now surpassed a record previously held by one of his childhood heroes, Semenyo hopes his own achievements can have a similar effect on young footballers dreaming of reaching the highest level.
The Manchester City forward said watching Yeboah and other prominent strikers score regularly in the Premier League had motivated him as a youngster, and he now wants his performances to provide the same inspiration for the next generation.
“When they were playing in the Premier League, scoring every week, you wanted to do the same thing as a young kid. To think I’m doing it now, I’m grateful to God,” he said.
“It’s a dream of mine to have kids looking up to me, following in my footsteps. It gives me more motivation to keep going.”
Semenyo’s record-breaking season has also raised expectations around his role at Manchester City as the club begins preparations for another Premier League campaign.
The Ghanaian has made a positive impression under new City manager Enzo Maresca, who has begun implementing his tactical ideas since taking charge.
Semenyo believes the squad is responding positively to Maresca’s approach and expects the new manager to build on the foundations established during previous seasons.
“He’s been great so far,” Semenyo said. “He’s joined with us very, very quickly, tactically. You can see it’s very similar with our last manager. It’s going to take some time to get used to, but everyone’s buying into it.”
The forward also highlighted Maresca’s determination to compete for every available trophy, describing the manager as driven and ambitious.
“You can see he’s driven and wants to win everything, like how we do as a team,” Semenyo added. “He’s going to implement what he needs to, and we’ve still got experienced players from the seasons before. That will help lead us to hopefully victory in all the trophies this year.”
