He is a brilliant player - Jordan Ayew lauds Semenyo ahead of Wales friendly test

Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew has hailed Antoine Semenyo's outstanding season, backing the forward to translate his club form into the national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. 

The Manchester City forward has been included in Ghana's final 26-man squad for the tournament in North America after his superlative performances.

After joining City in January from AFC Bournemouth, Semenyo scored 17 league goals and earned a place on the shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

Reflecting on Semenyo's rise while addressing the media on Monday ahead of Ghana's friendly clash against Wales, Ayew praised his dedication and the impact he has made both for his club and Ghanaian football.

"He's darn brilliant. We all know this is in his heart since he's been at Bournemouth. He took it to City, and the fans are proud of him, the boys are proud of him."

He also emphasised that Semenyo's success is part of a wider team effort and expressed confidence that the forward can continue his impressive performances for the national team.

"So we just hope that he'll keep on doing it and doing it for Ghana. It's not that he's [only] performing, we're all performing as a team. We're good, we're happy."

The Ghana v Wales game has been scheduled to kick off at 18:45 GMT at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Black Stars will wrap up their preparation on June 10 with a friendly game against Jamaica before shifting their attention to the World Cup where they will play against Panama, England and Croatia in Group L.

Ghana will open their campaign against Panama on June 17 at BMO Field before taking on England six days later, and wrapping up the group phase against Croatia on June 27.