By featuring for Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie to Real Madrid, Antoine Semenyo moved one step closer to matching a unique record in English football that has been held by one man for the past two decades.
That man is former Liverpool full-back Steve Finnan who, aside from being regarded as one of the Premier League‘s most consistent defenders of the 2000s, is also famed for being the subject of a pub quiz football trivia.
Indeed, Finnan is on record as the only man to have played in non-league, 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 did so with the Republic of Ireland back in 2002.
After making his European club debut this week, Semenyo is narrowly behind Finnan in the race to check off all of the competitions listed above having made at least one appearance in non-league, all four English pro divisions, a World Cup and now the Champions League.
With just the Europa League (formerly known as the UEFA Cup) eluding him, the 26-year-old has drawn level with ex-Southampton and Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert, who also managed to play in non-league, all four English divisions, the Champions League and a World Cup (having mustered a two-minute cameo for England in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup).
As well as Semenyo and Lambert, several other notable names have come close to matching Finnan’s exemplary resume but none have equalled it quite yet. For example, Newcastle center back Dan Burn has played non-league, all four pro divisions and the Champions League, while Arsenal defender Ben White has played in all four English pro divisions and the UCL but not the World Cup or non-league football.
With plenty of time on his side and his career only just reaching its peak, Semenyo is now the closest to joining Steve Finnan on the great football trivia pedestal.
How Semenyo did it
Steve Finnan began his career in the Football Conference with Welling United before going on to play in the Championship (with Birmingham City and Fulham), League One (Fulham and Notts County) and League Two (Notts County).
He then played Premier League football with Fulham, Liverpool and Portsmouth (either side of an odd year in LaLiga with Espanyol). He also played in the Europa League and won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2004-05. He represented the Republic of Ireland at the 2002 World Cup, powering through the group stage only to be knocked out by Spain in the round of 16.
In chronological order, here’s a look at how Semenyo’s career has taken him to the brink of matching Finnan’s extensive ticklist, broken down by competition.
Non-League: Bath City (2017-18)
After trials with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, Semenyo signed his first professional deal with Bristol City in January 2018. He was then loaned out to Bath City for the remainder of the season in order to gain first-team experience and scored six goals in 16 games for the National League South side 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 the majority of his first two years at Ashton Gate out on loan. He eventually muscled his way into a regular starting spot in the first team and went onto play 112 league games for the Robins, scoring 16 goals.
League Two: Newport County (2018-19)
After returning from Bath City, Semenyo spent the following season on loan in League Two at Welsh side Newport County. The winger scored a relatively meagre three goals in 21 games for the club but did feature in their shock giant-killing of 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 move to the Stadium of Light for the second half of the campaign. He made seven appearances and failed to score in what was a largely forgettable six-month stint for the striker.
Premier League: Bournemouth (2022-26)
Despite interest from Palace, Bournemouth fended off competition to sign Semenyo in January 2022 in a deal worth around £10.5 million after the forward had enjoyed a prolific run of form in the Championship with Bristol City in the first half of the 2021-22 campaign.
He took a while to get going in the Premier League before eventually establishing himself as one of the league’s standout forwards, registering 30 league goals in 101 games for the Cherries over the course of the next three seasons.
FIFA World Cup: Ghana (2022)
Semenyo received his first call-up for Ghana in May 2022 before being 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 scoring 10 goals at the start of the 2025-26 season, City signed Semenyo in January, activating the £64 million clause in his Bournemouth contract. He continued his effervescent form and has since scored seven goals in his first 13 games for his new club in all competitions.
As such, it came as scant surprise that Pep Guardiola selected his in-form winger against Real Madrid, although it wasn’t a dream Champions League debut. Thanks to some brilliance from Federico Valverde, City were beaten 3-0 and Semenyo now faces an uphill battle if he is to make many further European appearances this season.
