Eighteen-year-old Jesurun Rak-Sakyi made his competitive debut against former club Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, stepping into a Premier League match against the European champions in a huge personal moment.
The young attacker earned 15 minutes on the pitch and expressed his pride and gratitude for the achievement post-match to Palace TV:
“It was a proud moment for me and my family. It was a great opportunity for me; I thank the coaches for helping me to get to this point and I thank the gaffer for trusting me and giving me [the] opportunity to play. Hopefully more to come.
“I felt it went quite well. I just tried to stay calm, keep the ball and play simple.”
After the game, manager Vieira said: “Giving opportunity to young players is part of the DNA of the football club.” He confirmed the Academy players featured in the squad today will continue to be a part of the first-team, showing his commitment to developing younger prospects.
Rak-Sakyi was eager to thank Vieira for his faith and support so far, saying: “I think he’s been incredible from the start, he’s really encouraged me, motivated me just to make sure I keep pushing and working hard and letting me know that if I work hard I’ve got a chance to play regularly in the first-team.
“He just wanted me to express myself because he knew it was a big moment for me coming on the pitch. He just wanted me to take every minute and keep working hard.”
Finally, Rak-Sakyi discussed his family’s support and the fact he’d come full-circle after leaving Chelsea earlier in his career:
“They [my family] are really supporting me throughout the hard times and the good times. So today was a good time for them to see me come on the pitch and do what I’ve been working towards this whole time.
“I sometimes think about how things were back when things weren’t going so well. I just thank God and thank my family for helping me go through the tough times. I just want to keep pushing on and keep doing great things.
“It’s just crazy when I think about it because leaving Chelsea at such a young age, you’re just so down, you don’t know if football’s going to work out. Just for my family and all my coaches helping me and supporting me to get to this point I am grateful for all of them.”
