To win this award is a massive achievement for me
—George King
George King on winning U21 Player of the Season, his first full campaign at U21 level and making his senior debut
Crystal Palace Under-21s defender George King sat down with the club after being named the U21s Player of the Season following a breakthrough campaign at academy and senior level.
The lifelong Palace supporter enjoyed an outstanding season for Darren Powell’s side, impressing with his defensive consistency, versatility and leadership before earning his senior debut in the UEFA Conference League and involvement in multiple first-team matchday squads.
Reflecting on receiving the award, King admitted it was a proud moment both personally and for his family.
“It’s massive, really,” he said. “Being a Palace fan and being here since I was 12, you work towards moments like this.
“To win this award is a massive achievement for me.”
King was presented with the award at half-time of Palace’s Premier League fixture against Everton in front of a packed Selhurst Park crowd – the same stadium he grew up attending with his family.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking to be out there in front of Selhurst Park,” he admitted.
“But it was a proud moment for me and my family. We’ve been coming here together since I was little, so to now be standing on the pitch receiving an award was really special.”
They've shown trust in me all season
—George King
The award was voted for by Academy Director Gary Issott and Under-21s head coach Darren Powell – something King says made the recognition even more meaningful.
“It means a lot coming from them because they’ve shown trust in me all season,” he explained.
“They’ve given me opportunities to play regularly, and they obviously see something in me, so I’m really grateful for that.”
King joined Palace at Under-12 level and has progressed steadily through the academy age groups ever since.
After helping the Under-15s reach the National Floodlit Cup Final in 2021/22, the defender continued his development throughout the scholarship programme before making the step up to Under-21s football.
His first season at Premier League 2 level has proven to be his strongest campaign yet.
“Yeah, I think it’s definitely up there as one of my best seasons,” King said.
“Training with the first team, making my debut and playing lots of minutes in different positions has helped me improve a lot as a player.”
Although this was his first full season as an Under-21 player, King had already gained valuable experience at the level during the latter stages of the previous campaign.
“I think I got better as the season went on,” he said.
“But I played quite a bit of Under-21s football towards the end of last season as well, so I knew what to expect coming into this year and I felt confident.”
Clearances and blocks are probably my favourite parts of the season
—George King
King became a key figure in a Palace defence that kept four clean sheets across the campaign, while also producing a number of crucial defensive interventions in important matches.
Goal-line clearances and last-ditch challenges against the likes of Juventus, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Liverpool proved vital as Palace topped their Premier League International Cup group and reached the Premier League 2 quarter-finals.
Asked which moments stood out most to him, King pointed towards his defensive contributions.
“They’re definitely up there,” he smiled. “I love defending. Honestly, I’d probably rather keep a clean sheet than score a goal.
“So, moments like the clearances and blocks are probably my favourite parts of the season.”
While his defensive performances were consistently impressive, King also made an impact at the other end of the pitch.
The defender scored three goals – including important strikes against Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers in Premier League 2 – while also registering four assists across the season.
Among those were a clever flick-on assist and a pinpoint lofted pass to set up goals against FC Nordsjælland and Liverpool respectively.
Discussing the attacking side of his game, King said: “Ever since my first year as a scholar, I’ve always tried to add goals and assists to my game.
“It’s something I want to keep improving every season because helping the team score goals is important as well.”
When asked about his favourite attacking contribution of the season, King pointed to his strike against Blackburn and his assist against Liverpool.
“Probably the Blackburn goal,” he said. “I took it quite well. “And for assists, probably the pass to Deano [Benamar] against Liverpool. That was probably my favourite one.”
Making my senior debut was unreal
—George King
King’s impressive campaign was rewarded with his senior debut in Palace’s 2-2 UEFA Conference League draw against KuPS, where he started and played 76 minutes.
Following the game, Oliver Glasner praised the defender for a composed display full of defensive solidity and maturity.
For King, however, simply stepping onto the Selhurst Park pitch for his boyhood club was the realisation of a childhood dream.
“It was unreal,” he reflected. “Playing at Selhurst was always my dream as a kid, so to actually do it and play over 70 minutes was really special.”
The defender was also included in senior matchday squads for the Premier League clash against Aston Villa and the FA Cup tie against Macclesfield.
“The Premier League squad was probably the biggest one for me because everybody dreams of being a Premier League player,” he said.
“Even though I didn’t get on, it was a really good experience to be around the changing room and see what that environment is like.”
King also earned his first Republic of Ireland Under-19s call-up and made his international debut during the campaign.
“It was a different experience to what I was used to,” he explained. “I played in midfield, which gave me a slightly different role going forward, but it was a really good experience overall.
“Albania were a tough side to play against as well, so I learned a lot from it.”
Despite winning the club’s U21s Player of the Season award and enjoying a memorable breakthrough year, King insists his focus is already on continuing to improve.
“There are lots of positives to take from the season,” he said.
“But I always feel like I can do better, and next season the aim is to keep pushing and improving even more.”