From lower leagues to Champions League: Man City’s Semenyo enters select group
By participating for Manchester City in the initial leg of their Champions League round-of-16 matchup against Real Madrid, Antoine Semenyo has moved closer to achieving a distinctive record in English football that has been held by one individual for the last twenty years.
This individual is former Liverpool full-back Steve Finnan, who, in addition to being recognized as one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders during the 2000s, is also well-known as a subject of pub quiz football trivia.
Indeed, Finnan is documented as the sole player to have competed in non-league football, all four professional English leagues (the Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two), the Europa League, the Champions League, and the World Cup, which he accomplished with the Republic of Ireland in 2002.
Following his European club debut this week, Semenyo is slightly trailing Finnan in the pursuit of completing all the aforementioned competitions, having made at least one appearance in non-league, all four English professional divisions, a World Cup, and now the Champions League.
With only the Europa League (previously known as the UEFA Cup) remaining, the 26-year-old has matched ex-Southampton and Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert, who also played in non-league, all four English divisions, the Champions League, and a World Cup (having made a two-minute appearance for England during the group stage of the 2014 World Cup).
Alongside Semenyo and Lambert, several other prominent figures have approached Finnan’s remarkable record, but none have yet equaled it. For instance, Newcastle center back Dan Burn has played in non-league, all four professional divisions, and the Champions League, while Arsenal defender Ben White has participated in all four English professional divisions and the UCL but has not played in the World Cup or non-league football.
With ample time ahead and his career just beginning to peak, Semenyo is now the closest to joining Steve Finnan on the esteemed football trivia list.
How Semenyo did it
Steve Finnan commenced his career in the Football Conference with Welling United before advancing to play in the Championship (with Birmingham City and Fulham), League One (Fulham and Notts County), and League Two (Notts County).
He then played in the Premier League with Fulham, Liverpool, and Portsmouth (interspersed with a brief year in LaLiga with Espanyol). He also participated in the Europa League and secured the Champions League title with Liverpool in 2004-05. He represented the Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup, progressing through the group stage only to be eliminated by Spain in the round of 16.
In chronological order, here is a summary of how Semenyo’s career has brought him to the verge of matching Finnan’s extensive checklist, categorized by competition.
Non-League: Bath City (2017-18)
After trials with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Crystal Palace, Semenyo signed his first professional contract with Bristol City in January 2018. He was subsequently loaned to Bath City for the remainder of the season to gain first-team experience, scoring six goals in 16 matches for the National League South team before returning to his parent club.
Championship: Bristol City (2017-2023)
Semenyo spent six seasons at Bristol City, all of which were in the Championship. He made his debut for the club in May 2018, although he spent most of his first two years at Ashton Gate on loan. He eventually secured a regular starting position in the first team and went on to play 112 league matches for the Robins, netting 16 goals.
League Two: Newport County (2018-19)
After returning from Bath City, Semenyo spent the next season on loan in League Two at Welsh club Newport County. The winger scored a modest three goals in 21 matches for the team but did participate in their surprising upset against former Premier League champions Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup.
League One: Sunderland (2019-20)
Semenyo’s season-long loan at Newport was followed by another loan move to Sunderland in 2019-20, which saw him transfer to the Stadium of Light for the latter half of the season. He made seven appearances and did not score in what was a largely uneventful six-month period for the forward.
Premier League: Bournemouth (2022-26)
Despite interest from Palace, Bournemouth successfully secured Semenyo’s signature in January 2022 for a fee of approximately £10.5 million after the forward had experienced a prolific spell in the Championship with Bristol City during the first half of the 2021-22 season.
He took some time to adapt in the Premier League before ultimately establishing himself as one of the league’s prominent forwards, recording 30 league goals in 101 appearances for the Cherries over the next three seasons.
FIFA World Cup: Ghana (2022)
Semenyo received his first call-up for Ghana in May 2022 and was included in the World Cup squad the following November. He made two substitute appearances in Qatar as the Black Stars were eliminated at the group stage.
Champions League: Manchester City (2026)
After netting 10 goals at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, City acquired Semenyo in January, triggering the £64 million clause in his Bournemouth contract. He maintained his impressive form and has since scored seven goals in his first 13 matches for his new club across all competitions.
Consequently, it was not surprising that Pep Guardiola chose his in-form winger against Real Madrid, although it was not an ideal Champions League debut. Thanks to some brilliance from Federico Valverde, City suffered a 3-0 defeat, and Semenyo now faces a challenging path if he hopes to make many more European appearances this season.
