Antoine Semenyo fulfilled the wish of a young Manchester City supporter after handing over his shirt to the fan following Bournemouth’s defeat at the Etihad Stadium on the opening week of the Premier League season.
The Ghana forward was approached by the young supporter, who had brought a banner to the match asking Semenyo for his shirt. After the final whistle, Semenyo made his way towards the fans and gave the youngster the jersey, prompting an emotional reaction from the supporter.
Video of the moment quickly spread on social media, with the fan visibly moved to tears after receiving the shirt from the Bournemouth forward.
The gesture came after a dramatic match in which Manchester City recovered from a goal down to beat Semenyo’s former club.
Bournemouth had looked on course for a memorable victory at the Etihad after Marcus Tavernier gave the visitors the lead in the first half.
City, however, turned the game around late on, with defenders Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol scoring to secure the comeback victory.
Semenyo played the entire match but was unable to score or provide an assist against his former side.
Despite not making a direct contribution to the scoresheet, his performance was part of a contest that saw Bournemouth come close to producing a notable result before City responded in the closing stages.
The result also gave new manager Enzo Maresca a winning start, while City ultimately avoided what would have been a historic defeat at home.
For Semenyo, the most memorable moment of the match came after the action had ended.
The Ghana international has previously spoken about his ambition to inspire younger players, making his decision to respond to the young fan particularly significant.
In an interview with CNN Sport, Semenyo said becoming an example for children was one of his personal ambitions.
“Its a dream of mine to have kids looking up to me, following in my footsteps. It gives me more motivation to keep going,” he said.
His actions at the Etihad provided a direct example of that ambition, as he took time after the match to respond to a request from a young supporter.
The fan had been spotted during the game holding a banner that read: ‘can I have your (Semenyo) shirt, please?’
Semenyo later climbed towards the supporters to deliver the shirt personally.
The moment has since been widely shared online, with the player’s gesture attracting praise from social media users.
On the pitch, Bournemouth’s inability to hold onto their advantage proved costly.
Maresca described Manchester City’s comeback as a performance that deserved to end in victory, pointing to the opportunities his team created during the game.
“The spirit was fantastic, said Maresca. Its a game that we deserved to win. A game probably you dont need to win to last eight minutes for the amount of chances we had.”
The City manager also acknowledged that Bournemouth had opportunities of their own before the home side eventually found a way back into the match.
“Before they scored they had two or three chances. We miss and when they score and you miss it becomes more complicated.”
Maresca said the balance of the second half further strengthened his belief that City deserved the points.
“In the second half they didnt have a shot on goal until the 80th minute so I think we deserved it.”
While the result belonged to Manchester City, Semenyo’s interaction with the young supporter provided one of the most touching moments of the match.
The Ghana forward could not find the net against his former club, but he completed the game and then ensured that a young fan left the stadium with a memory that is likely to last far longer than the result itself.
