Dean Henderson: Palace's No. 1 – and new captain – in his words

This interview was initially published in the Crystal Palace v Manchester City programme in December 2025 - you can buy issues of the matchday programme by clicking HERE.

Dean Henderson’s reaction saves are up there with the very best in the Premier League.

His stop in the win away at Burnley last month was a prime example and later nominated for the December Premier League Save of the Month award.

Midway through the second-half, forward Jacob Bruun Larsen fired home a shot from close range, but the Palace No. 1 with micro-seconds to react, managed to get a fingertip on it and preserve his clean sheet.

It was a match-saving intervention that made the difference between three points and one. But where did this trait come from?

Henderson was a promising wicketkeeper as a youth cricketer and believes the skills he picked up there have continued to benefit him in his football career.

“I think the wicket-keeping has actually set me in good stead for life as a goalkeeper,” he told the matchday programme.

“You see quite a lot of my attributes in goal, particularly when I was younger, I had that wide set.

“I could react very quickly if the ball changed direction. That was all because of cricket.”

Henderson in fact had two saves nominated for the award, with the stop against Burnley making it seven shutouts in 14 games and, at the time, had him joint-second in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove award.

Although few would argue that Jordan Pickford hasn’t deserved to be England’s first-choice in recent tournaments, Henderson’s form for Palace over the last few years is making him increasingly hard to ignore at international level.

Thomas Tuchel arriving as England manager to lead the Three Lions at the World Cup next summer, has only improved Henderson’s opportunities to impress.

He was given the start in a World Cup qualifier away to Albania in the last international break of 2025, winning his fourth cap and keeping a clean sheet.

“It’s different because at club level you’ve always got the clear number one,” he adds. “At international level, it’s difficult at times because you invest so much into it emotionally and physically.

“But I’ve always been told in football that if you work hard and keep knocking on the door, you’ll get opportunities eventually.

“It was fantastic to get a start in probably the toughest group game of the campaign so far. It was a tough place to go and I felt the team did well, the clean sheet from that game felt like a nice reward.”

Henderson won’t be the only player eyeing a World Cup place going into next summer. But he remains focused, first and foremost, on keeping his performances for Palace at a high level.

“England is in the back of my mind,” he adds. “But ultimately you get rewarded from your club form. I’ve got to keep pushing the level I’ve been playing at, making sure I’m in good form and a good position.

“Then if I’m called upon, I’ll be ready.”

Henderson is making a push, not only because he is an in-form Premier League goalkeeper, but because he has also shown he can play a big role in his team winning silverware.

Of course, Dean was one of the standout heroes from both the FA Cup final and the Community Shield victories last year.

When Palace defeated Manchester City in the former, Henderson managed to encapsulate the full range of emotions Palace fans in the stadium and across the world were feeling that day.

There was the joy after his double save following City’s first-half penalty, one of two moments that defined the most important match in Eagles history.

Then at full-time, interviewed on the pitch, there was the poignant tribute to his late father who Henderson said was “with him in every kick of the game.”

A few hours later in the team celebrations at Wembley BOXPARK, Henderson led the way with the now iconic chant to the tune of Shakira’s 2010 World Cup hit ‘Waka Waka.’ You all know the words.

It’s still being sung home and away this season, so did the man himself expect that at the time?

“It wasn’t during the game that I first heard it,” recalls Henderson. “It was when we played Arsenal a few weeks before, the 2-2 draw. I got back to the training ground, in my car. The kit man comes over to me and he says ‘listen to this, this is the song we’ll sing when we win it.’

“I thought ‘wow that sounds good,’ so I memorised it, thinking we could sing it together. But when I got passed the microphone, I was looking for him, for a duet, and he wasn’t there.

“Obviously I sang it on my own. But I didn’t think it would kick off the way it has. It’s a fantastic feeling to hear the fans singing it.

“It’s special and takes me back to that day.”

Going back to the 36th minute on that day, was he not thrown by seeing Omar Marmoush step up to take it, as opposed to City’s goalscoring extraordinaire Erling Haaland – who seemed, to many, the obvious choice?

“I had a plan for Haaland taking it,” he reveals. “And I was quite quietly confident about it.

“But obviously when Marmoush then takes the ball so that plan has gone. It felt like fate at that point. I wasn’t 100% sure, he could have easily gone the other way.

“I just thought it was a big pressure moment for his first City penalty… he probably strikes the ball as hard as I’ve seen anyone strike it.

“I knew if I went early and threw my weight behind it, I’d have a good chance of saving it. To see the ball coming towards me was something else, I just then had to get back up quick to save from Haaland. I went with everything and thankfully held onto it.

“Goalkeepers are never expected to save it in some ways, but I put that expectation on myself. I pride myself on saving penalties.

“I did think to myself before it, if I save this penalty, the scenes behind me are going to be the greatest thing ever.

“Since that day I’ve seen the videos back and it gives me goosebumps, I just wish I could go back to it and feel it!”

Although ‘keepers are perennially second favourites in a two-horse race, when facing a spot-kick, Henderson’s penalty saving is becoming a not-so-secret weapon.

Should he save the next two Premier League kicks he faces, he’ll join former Arsenal ‘keeper Manuel Almunia as statistically the best penalty saver in the league’s history – to have faced 10 spot-kicks or more.

“I don't want to put myself under too much pressure with it,” he adds. “Because obviously the penalty takers at this level are very good and probably should score.

“But I do my homework, I prepare right and when the opportunity comes, I back myself.”

With his level of confidence and belief, Henderson was the perfect candidate to replace Marc Guéhi as the club captain for the rest of the season.

Now he’ll be looking to drive the team forward for a successful second-half of 2025/26 both domestically, and in Europe.