England international Sam Johnstone took on the No. 1 shirt at Crystal Palace in the summer of 2023, having impressed in his maiden season at Selhurst Park and earned a clean sweep of awards at previous club West Bromwich Albion.
Having recovered from the injury problems which restricted his match action, Johnstone started Palace's last nine Premier League games in 2022/23, earning rave reviews and a recall to the England squad.
The 'keeper had joined Palace on a free transfer after playing 37 times for West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season, winning both the Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Year awards. He remained a key part of the side in the Championship during the 2021/22 campaign, at which point his contract came to an end.
Johnstone started his career at Manchester United, rising through the Academy and excelling on loan in the Championship, most notably at Aston Villa.
After starting out as a centre-back when he first began playing football, at the age of nine, while playing for local club Euxton Villa, he was told to play in goal – and it was clear from the start that it was where he was meant to be.
Within three months of playing between the sticks, he had been spotted by Manchester United – and signed.
Johnstone joined Aston Villa, then in the Championship, in January 2017, making his debut away at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup.
From his arrival until the end of the season, he kept more clean sheets than any goalkeeper in the division. It was no surprise, then, that he returned on loan for the following season.
His performances at Villa Park saw Johnstone earn a £6.5 million transfer to West Bromwich Albion, guiding the club to the play-offs in his first season and to promotion in his second.
Despite a tough Premier League season for the club, Johnstone shone – pulling off several stunning saves to keep the Baggies in the fight for survival, most notably frustrating Manchester City with two stoppage-time interventions at the Etihad.
Johnstone received his first senior call-up in March 2021 as Gareth Southgate’s side prepared for their World Cup qualifiers.
He had to wait for his debut, starting in England’s 1-0 win against Romania in their final friendly before the European Championship. He was a part of the squad that reached the final in the tournament. He added a second and third international cap in home and away games against Andorra. In three games he is yet to concede a goal in international football.
After establishing himself in the first-team with a series of commanding performances towards the end of the 22/23 campaign, Johnstone was once again called up by England in both June and September 2023.
