Crystal Palace FC's first-ever major European adventure is underway, as we battle to win the UEFA Conference League. Find out how you can join us on our journey.

European Tour

## World Cup winner

> Having made more than 100 appearances for Crystal Palace and now a regular captain of the side, Marc Guéhi has matured well beyond his years since moving to south London.

He joined Palace in summer 2021, signing a five-year contract with the club, and committing his services until summer 2026.

Guéhi was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and moved to England aged one. He spent much of his early years in Lewisham and began his youth career with Bromley-based Cray Wanderers.

It didn’t take long for Guéhi to attract attention and, aged just seven, he was scouted by Chelsea.

Progressing over the following decade with the Blues, Guéhi did enough to stay at the club year on year and reaped the rewards with an immensely successful peer group.

Winning the treble with the Blues’ Under-18s in 2016/17, Guéhi signed his first professional contract in September 2017 and went on to help Chelsea scoop the quadruple – including the FA Youth Cup and league – that same season.

Guéhi’s Academy team helped to reinforce Chelsea’s image as one of the fiercest youth sides in England, as the centre-back played alongside the likes of Reece James, Tariq Lamptey, Billy Gilmour, Conor Gallagher and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

But it wasn’t just at club level where Guéhi enjoyed success with a noteworthy youth team, as the teenager won the Under-17 World Cup with England in 2017. Indeed, Guéhi captained the Young Lions to the U17 European Championship final that same year and scored in the World Cup final just months later.

These performances ensured Guéhi was rewarded with a taste of first-team football, and he began to be named in Chelsea squads in spring 2019 – being a senior substitute on four occasions in 18/19.

His breakthrough came in the League Cup against Grimsby Town as the Blues stormed to a 7-1 victory with Guéhi in the backline. He again earned professional minutes for Chelsea in a fourth-round defeat against Manchester United, and secured a loan move to Swansea City shortly after.

Guéhi fought to secure his place over a half-season with the Swans that was disrupted by the league’s suspension in March. Having returned from the pause, Guéhi played in Swansea’s final five matches and helped to clinch a sixth-place finish.

Play-off heartbreak came for the first of two times as Swansea lost on aggregate to Brentford in the semi-finals, but Guéhi went on to enjoy personal progression the following season regardless.

2020/21 was something of a landmark for the defender, who returned to Swansea on loan for a full campaign and played 45 games. He became recognised as one of the league’s brightest talents and helped Swansea climb further up the table with a fourth-place finish.

Swansea and Guéhi continued to go one better than 19/20 by reaching the play-off final, but football showed its unforgiving side once again as Brentford overcame them for a second time. Guéhi played in every minute of the three play-off matches.

Guéhi describes himself as “strong, comfortable on the ball and hopefully growing to be a leader one day.”

These traits are evident in his play, with the 21-year-old having captained England Under-21s and made himself a mainstay for Swansea despite being one of the squad’s youngest players.

His attitude became clear when a post-match interview with him went viral across social media. Having earned a spot at Wembley and consecutive Man of the Match awards from Sky Sports, Guéhi humbly rebuked the accolades by saying: “The first time I was really surprised. Now I think it’s getting a bit ridiculous! Everyone was fantastic today, to a man. I could name everyone. For me to get this again, I don’t know.”

On the pitch, Guéhi is assertive and vocal, often heard organising his teammates with confidence. This confidence is reflected in his willingness to drive out from the back and distribute possession from relatively high up the pitch.

His first season in south London saw him feature in all but two of the games in 2021/22, making 42 appearances in total. His first goal for the club came in a chaotic 3-3 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor. Guéhi captained the side for the first time against Watford in February 2022, becoming the youngest player to captain the side since Nathaniel Clyne in 2012.

A month later, he earned his first ever call-up to the full England squad and made his debut in a 2-1 win against Switzerland.

Guéhi continued to be a rock at the heart of the Palace defence in 2022/23, forming a formidable partnership with Joachim Andersen. He was nearly ever-present in 22/23, playing in 40 out of a possible 41 games.

The 2023/24 campaign saw Guéhi again continue as a stalwart at the back, though in the latter half of the season he did suffer a knee injury which kept him out for two months. He concluded 23/24 with 29 appearances in all competitions.

He was called up to the England men's senior squad ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championship and earned his 10th cap for the Three Lions with a solid defensive display and clean sheet against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024.

Guéhi played a huge role at the heart of the England defence in the 2024 UEFA European Championship, playing every single minute he was eligible for as England finished runners-up in the tournament. He managed to to keep two clean sheets and register an assist for Jude Bellingham's sensational last-minute overhead kick against Slovakia in the round of 16.

In 2024/25, Guéhi continued to be one of the first names on the teamsheet and captained the side on a regular basis. He played in 44 games across all competitions, keeping 14 clean sheets, scoring three times and registering two assists. 

Guéhi also made history alongside Palace legend Joel Ward on the 17th May 2025 - going up the famous Wembley steps to lift the FA Cup, after beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final. 

UEFA European Under-17 Championship, 2017

Team of the Tournament

March 2022, March 2023

Crystal Palace Player of the Month

Crystal Palace, 2021/22

Players' Player of the Season

January 2025

Crystal Palace Goal of the Month

Guéhi

instagram

Twitter

Appearances

Goals

Behind-the-scenes | Christmas at Palace 

Extended Highlights: Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace | Palace TV+

Match Action: Fulham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Guéhi praises team spirit

Guéhi reacts to clean sheet

The Best of Marc Guèhi | Brentford (H)

Pre-match Press Conference | FC Dynamo Kyiv 

Goal AND Player of the month: Marc Guehi

Goal of the month contenders | August 2025

Extended Highlights: Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace | Palace TV+

The Full 90: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace | Palace TV+

Match Highlights: Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace

Behind The Scenes | Kit Shoot

Introducing our 25/26 Eagle Gold kit 

Introducing the 25/26 Home Kit

Goals Inside Box

Goals Outside Box

Right Foot

Left Foot

Shots

Shots on target

Hit woodwork

Penalties taken

Penalties scored

Touches

Touches in opposition box

Aerial duels

Aerial duels won

Interceptions

Blocks

Recoveries

Tackles won

Duels won

Clearances

Minutes

Attempted passes

Successful passes

Chances created

Crosses

Yellow cards

Red cards

Fouls won

Fouls Conceded

Season

Games

Pre-Match Press Conference | Leeds United (A)

With the trip to Elland Road (Saturday, 20th December, 20:00 GMT) coming just 48 hours after the game against KuPS in the UEFA Conference League, the Manager has said the players that didn't start on Thursday will come into the side on Saturday.

But he admitted he was unsure how many of those players could then feature against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday evening (20:00 GMT) as Palace tackle the busy festive run.

When asked if the team that played against KuPS would play again against Arsenal, Glasner joked: "If I know this, I would be David Copperfield! And I told you on day number one \[he joined Palace\] I'm not.

"I don't know what happens at Leeds to be honest. I know that fortunately we have no injuries from today, so that means we have our 16 on-field players available and then we will pick two from our Under-21 squad, so we have these 18 plus the goalkeepers.

"If you are really well prepared you should know our starting XI now. They will definitely start.

"Somebody could be ill, everything can happen. But if nothing happens, the XI players who did not start today, they will start at Leeds and then I don't know what happens there and who will be available for the Arsenal game."

Glasner was happy to name the team he plans on starting at Elland Road, telling the pre-match media conference: "It's easy. Dean Henderson, Marc Guéhi, Lacroix, Richards, Mitchell, Hughes, Wharton, Clyne, Pino, Nketiah, Mateta."

When asked about the challenge Leeds will pose, Glasner said he expected to face a well-drilled team and that he felt Palace were prepared for the task at hand.

"I would have preferred to play them not within 48 hours, but no," he added. "They have changed to a 3-5-2.

"I know Daniel Farke quite well from Germany. He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic person.

"They have a nice structure. We have had to prepare and we watched them in advance. It's a good team. They had more than 100 points in the Championship \[last season\], so you need to be good. And they've added a few players now.

"The two strikers, \[Dominic\] Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor who I know from Red Bull Salzburg, a very quick player.

"I think it's a good combination. One is tall, with a great header, the other one very quick. It's a very good team.

"It will be a nice challenge for us."

### **Match Details**

**Leeds United v Crystal Palace**

- **Saturday, 20th December**
- **20:00 GMT**
- **Premier League**
- **Elland Road**
- [**Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.**](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/supporters/palace-tv-plus/)

Oliver Glasner has confirmed he will rotate his starting XI for Palace's away game at Leeds United.

Team news: Glasner confirms his team to face Leeds

KuPS

UEFA Conference League

Crystal Palace

Last Match

Premier League

Leeds United

Next Match

Christmas Shopping - Perfect Palace Presents

The teenage winger was making his senior footballing debut for the Eagles against the Finnish champions and, in doing so, at 16 years and 192 days old, became the the youngest Englishman to play in the UEFA Conference League, and Palace's fourth-youngest player of all-time (behind John Bostock, Alex Wynter and Phil Hoadley).

Drakes-Thomas took to the stage superbly, proving a threat throughout on the left-hand side with his energetic pressing and accurate crossing.

Over the course of 96 minutes, the winger completed 21 of 24 (88%) passes, created two big chances for his teammates, and had three shots, as well as winning five of his eight ground duels and recovering possession four times.

On a night when many young talents shone, you awarded **Drakes-Thomas** a fantastic **72.8%** of your Player of the Match votes, with goalscorers Uche (8.2%) and Devenny (8.0%) scoring well, alongside Drakes-Thomas' fellow Academy graduates Dean Benamar (3.6%) and Kaden Rodney (3.5%).

**Check out the full Player of the Match results below!**

A youthful Crystal Palace side were held to a 2-2 draw by Finnish league winners KuPS Kuopio at Selhurst Park on Thursday evening – with goals from Christantus Uche and Justin Devenny – and you voted 16-year-old debutant Joél Drakes-Thomas as your Player of the Match!

Your Player of the Match against KuPS Kuopio revealed!

#### **Goalscorer Justin Devenny, speaking to UEFA:**

“We work on them \[attacking patterns\] every day so I know where I needed to be \[for the goal\]. 

“I think I got one later, which I didn't score, but again, for me it was about getting in the right positions.

“I would have liked to have scored another one, but these things happen. Again, for me, if I miss, if I score, then it's just done, and then I’m on to the next one. 

“I just seen him \[Tyrick Mitchell\] lift his head and I had to make that run.

“I think all young lads can walk away with a head held high. I thought every single one of them was brilliant tonight.

“They were ready, they drove the standards. You saw that they played with confidence, which is what we asked for.

“As much as we might be doing it the hard way, there's two extra games for us…  you can look at it any way you want. But the way I look at it is, there's two more games that we can go and win.

“Two more games that I can hopefully stamp my authority on. For everyone in the team, it's about driving that standards. 

“It doesn't matter when we play, who we play. We're going to be ready and we're going to turn up.” 

#### **Wing-back Borna Sosa:**

“I think it was a good performance in the end. Of course, it was not the result we wanted, but we still have a second chance to play for and if we have to do it in the harder way, we will go and do it that way.

“But I think we have a lot of positive things to grab from the game as well, especially the young lads that played for the first time for us today.

“This \[having to play the play-off\] is part of football sometimes. It doesn't go the way you want. So we will take the two games and win.

“We know that in England, this part of the season is the toughest one and most games are in this part of the month… December, January.

“So we're used to it and I think we have a good spirit in the team to perform in all the games as best as possible.”

#### **Oliver Glasner, speaking to TNT Sports:**

“It was a good game, the first-half was very good. I’m very pleased with the youngsters, we lost a little bit of structure for 10 minutes.

"We wanted to win and go straight into the Round of 16. I know this can happen, we accept it.

“But again especially with the young players we can see what they need, all four Under-21 players got cramp tonight."

#### **Former Palace skipper Joel Ward, speaking to TNT Sports:**

“I think regardless of those two extra \[play-off\] games they have to face, Oliver Glasner will proud of the group tonight, especially the players making their debuts, and how they're managing the load.

“He'll be happy with the group’s professionalism and attitude.

“These two extra games are just another challenge, and Glasner is not one to shy away from that. They are meticulous in the way that they prepare things.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I was really pleased with the performance of the players today&quot; 🙌<br><br>Oliver Glasner reflects on Crystal Palace&#39;s 2-2 draw with KuPS as they qualified for the Conference League play-offs...<br><br>🎙️ <a href="https://twitter.com/julesbreach?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@julesbreach</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/JoleonLescott?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoleonLescott</a> <br><br>📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/tntsports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tntsports</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/discoveryplusUK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@discoveryplusUK</a> <a href="https://t.co/j098Mc4yd9">pic.twitter.com/j098Mc4yd9</a></p>&mdash; Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballontnt/status/2001781175371674069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

#### **Former England defender** **Joleon Lescott, speaking to TNT Sports:**

“I think it's positive overall for Palace.

“When they analyse the game they will look back at what they have achieved as a whole. They are still in the competition and have opportunities to progress.

“\[Oliver\] Glasner will have learned that he can trust these players now. They've got Macclesfield away in the FA Cup \[in the New Year\], the play-offs in this competition, maybe they can play in those games and give some of the experienced players a rest?

“He learned more about personalities rather than just performances tonight.”

Oliver reflects on solid european perfomance 

Further reaction from Thursday night's thrilling draw with KuPS Kuopio – as a youthful Palace side hit back to seal a UEFA Conference League play-off place...

The reaction round-up as Palace book play-off path

First-team

First-team

Team news: Glasner confirms his team to face Leeds

Your Player of the Match against KuPS Kuopio revealed!

The reaction round-up as Palace book play-off path

Christmas Shopping - Perfect Palace Presents

6Marc
Guéhi

First-team

First-team

Team news: Glasner confirms his team to face Leeds

Your Player of the Match against KuPS Kuopio revealed!

The reaction round-up as Palace book play-off path

Christmas Shopping - Perfect Palace Presents

6MarcGuéhi

6Marc
Guéhi