Europe's New Wonderkid? Meet the Crystal Palace Prodigy Bursting Onto the Scene

Crystal Palace’s Rising Star: Is This Europe’s Next Wonderkid?

Crystal Palace have recently become a club with big expectations and an eye for talent, often bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League, including the likes of Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and current club captain Marc Guehi.

The club, however, has produced some outstanding talent of its own over the years. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Nathaniel Clyne, Tyrick Mitchell and of course club legend Wilfred Zaha just to name a few. The Eagles look set to have found their next big star, with a 16-year-old making his debut at Selhurst Park in the Conference just last week.

Palace took on Kups in the UEFA Conference League, looking to secure a top-eight finish and progress to the last 16. Oliver Glasner went into the game without the majority of his first team, resting them for the Weekend fixture away at Leeds. This meant an opportunity for the academy players to show their worth, with three new debutants alongside another academy graduate, Kaden Rodney.

Expectations were unknown for this set of young players, who were given the freedom to go out and enjoy themselves on the big stage. What happened next shocked many fans and has taken social media by storm.

16-year-old Joel Drake-Thomas stepped out a Selhurst Park and put on a show for the home fans, picking up the Man of the Match award, playing an impressive full 90 minutes of a 2-2 draw. He also became the fourth-youngest player in the club’s history to start a senior match, an achievement highlighted by an outstanding performance.

16 years of age.
Palace senior debut.

Joel Drakes-Thomas is Your Player of the Match against KuPS 👏 pic.twitter.com/yacVVTYyyr

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) December 19, 2025

The performance of Drake-Thomas took the footballing world by storm. He was demanding the ball from senior players, being direct with the ball, taking on his man and putting in some inviting crosses, including a last-minute chance created for Justin Devenny, who could not convert to give Palace all three points. He presented a mature performance for someone so young, and gave Palace fans a feeling similar to that of Wilfred Zaha, getting them off their seats with excitement.

Oliver Glasner rewarded his performance with a debut in the Premier League away at Elland Road just two days later. Drake-Thomas came on in the 86th minute, playing 16 minutes on debut. He became Palace's youngest ever Premier League debutant at 16 years 194 days old, taking that off David Ozoh, who made his debut 17 years 260 days old. Both Drake-Thomas and fans will be hoping to see him put on the red and blue stripes a few more times this season.

Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player at 16 years, 194 days…

Proud of you, JDT ❤️💙#CPFC pic.twitter.com/mtyRdNx085

— Crystal Palace F.C. Academy (@CPFCAcademy) December 20, 2025

Who is Joel Drake-Thomas?

Joel Drake-Thomas is a local academy graduate. The young star grew up in Wandsworth, London, just half an hour away from Selhurst Park.

He started his career in local Sunday football, playing for Lambeth Tigers before signing for Palace at the age of six and has been there since. Drake-Thomas plays is a No.10 who is versatile, often playing wingback or winger for the U21s, where he made his debut early this year.

Drake-Thomas has played up an age group for much of his development, he first featured for the Under-18s as a substitute against Liverpool in October 2024. He closed his 2024/25 campaign with one goal and three assists for the U18s, alongside two appearances at U21 level. This season he has continued form, scoring twice and assisting once in his opening two matches. He has now established himself as a regular in Palace's U21 squad and has his sights set on doing the same for the first team. He has also competed internationally with England at both the U16s and U17s levels but is also eligible for Jamaica.

What is next for Drake-Thomas?

Palace have already fought off attempts from rival clubs to take him away from the club, but he agreed to sign a professional contract when he turns 17 in June next year, with a pathway to the first team almost a guarantee

There had been a lot of talk that Drakes-Thomas could potentially debut this season and rise as Palace's next star, but even those who had seen him play would not have expected a performance of that standard.

The young forward will be looking to get more of these experiences this season with the club still in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the knockouts of the UEFA Conference League. Until then, Palace fans will be talking about that Man of the Match performance on debut.