Semenyo credits journaling habit for rise to Man City

Antoine Semenyo says a daily journaling habit he has maintained since childhood has played a central role in his journey from rejected trialist to Manchester City winger.

The 26-year-old faced numerous knockbacks during his teenage years before earning a professional contract with Bristol City in 2018. A move to Bournemouth in 2023 preceded his transfer to City last January.

"I manifest what I want for the season, for the years ahead and it's worked out well so far," Semenyo told UEFA ahead of Wednesday's Champions League home match against Paris Saint-Germain. "Every goal that I've written down so far has manifested."

Semenyo traced the habit back to a notebook his mother gave him as a child. "My mum got me a big book that was meant to be for homework but it became for random stuff. Some of the things in there can be random, just like notes but a lot of it is what I want to achieve," he said.

The Ghanaian international has recorded 13 goals in 35 appearances for City, including the winner in last season's FA Cup final. He credits former manager Pep Guardiola with sharpening his tactical understanding. "It's understanding the pace of the game, when to go slow, when to speed it up, when to dribble. Pep drilled that into me a lot and it's helped me," he said.

Semenyo also pointed to difficult spells at Newport, Bristol City, and Sunderland as formative experiences. "It's made me, ultimately, resilient. I'm strong minded and have strong character," he said. "You need to be strong minded to get through those moments. If you're not strong minded, you'll fall."

City have won all eight of their opening fixtures across the Premier League, Champions League, and Carabao Cup this season, including a 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.