Black Stars forward, Antoine Semenyo, has recalled the emotional and surreal moment he received his first-ever call-up to represent Ghana.

Now a regular in the national team setup with 27 caps and appearances at both the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, the Bournemouth striker, in an interview shared on TikTok, says the memory of that life-changing moment in 2022 remains vivid.

At the time, Semenyo said he was still fighting for consistency at club level when he sensed something unusual during a regular training day.

“I remember the training ground just being silent and every time I went to the changing room, it’s like silent. No one is really chatting to me. I’m thinking, like, what’s going on?” he recalled.

The unease only deepened when his club manager approached him directly, something that didn’t normally happen without reason.

“I see the manager and he’s like, ‘Can I chat to you in the office? I’m thinking, have I done a madness? I’m asking the mandem, ‘Have I done something? We got to the office and he was just like, ‘We spoke to the Ghana manager and they want to call you up for the next friendlies’,” he added.

According to the former Bristol City forward, he was stunned, emotionally moved, and almost couldn’t believe that a dream, which had seemed so far away, was finally coming true.

“I’m sitting in the office thinking, you guys are not joking, right? You’re being serious? He’s like, ‘Yeah, they called us and they said they want to call you for the next games.’ And I just remember looking up at the sky, thinking, this is actually a madness,” he further stated.

In that quiet moment, as reality sank in, his mind raced back to the difficult times, the trials, the rejections, the uncertainty. For a few seconds, he just sat there, overwhelmed.

“I’m sitting there reminiscing when I was getting rejected. I remember calling my dad, brother, mum, ‘Yo, I got called up for Ghana.’ Everyone is just screaming. Mum is screaming down the phone,” he recalled.

That call-up marked the beginning of his international career. Since making his debut against Madagascar on June 1, 2022, Semenyo has gone on to earn 27 caps, scoring three goals.

Watch the full interview below: