Former France international Marcel Desailly believes Antoine Semenyo could be the key to keeping the Black Stars alive at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Manchester City forward comes into the tournament on the back of an impressive season at club level, where he won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup after joining Pep Guardiola's side in January.

Semenyo scored 21 goals at the end of the 2025/26 season for Bournemouth and Man City combined and will be heavily depended on by the Black Stars at the World Cup.

"He's that individual player that when you are facing challenges, with one move, one run, he can allow Ghana to stay in the game. So this is what we are expecting from him. Be disciplined. Don't take advantage because you are a Manchester City player, you are a star, you are arriving in Ghana, and you are stronger than the entity and the team," Desailly told FlashScore.com.

"So he really needs to come in with humility and be that top player that can make the difference. The issue is he needs to stay disciplined even though he's a Manchester City player, and he's one of the stars. We need him to be one of the key players who can allow them, when they are in a difficult situation, to raise a little bit.

"They've not qualified for the African Cup of Nations, so the expectation in Ghana is very high, and also for the players, they are eager to be part of international competition."

Semenyo will be playing in his second World Cup tournament with the Black Stars after his debut at the 2022 edition in Qatar.