Joel Drakes-Thomas
A versatile, attack-minded forward capable of taking on his marker and driving forward, Joel Drakes-Thomas is already the youngest-ever player to represent Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
86JoélDrakes-Thomas
ST
Forward
Date of Birth
09.06.0909 June 2009
Country
GBEnglandJoined Team
10.12.2510 December 2025
Playing above his age group, he made his Under-18 debut as a substitute against Liverpool in October 2024 before quickly making an impact at that level. His first start and first goal came in a 4-2 comeback win over Chelsea in December, followed by a standout display in February 2025 when he registered a hat-trick of assists in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa.
His rapid rise was matched on the international stage, earning a call-up to England Under-16s for the UEFA Development Tournament in Alicante, where he featured in all three matches against Colombia, Denmark and France, contributing two assists.
By April 2025, he had already been introduced into Under-21 matchday squads, making his debut shortly after against Chelsea. He finished the 2024/25 season with one goal and three assists in 13 Under-18 appearances, alongside two Under-21 outings.
He began the 2025/26 campaign in strong form, scoring twice and assisting once in his opening two matches, which accelerated his transition into regular Under-21 involvement. Now primarily operating as an attack-minded wing-back, Drakes-Thomas has become a consistent outlet on the flank, using his pace, directness and delivery to stretch opposition defences.
His international progression continued with England Under-16s during a camp in Dubai, where he featured across all three fixtures, including a key contribution in a 5-2 comeback win over the USA, setting up Mathis Eboue’s hat-trick goal with a driving run and pinpoint cross.
He also completed 90 minutes against Côte d’Ivoire and started against Australia as England finished unbeaten.
At club level, he has continued to feature across both Under-18s and Under-21s, including a Premier League International Cup win over FC Nordsjaelland, a key U18 victory over Southampton, and a full 90-minute display in the FA Youth Cup third-round win against Bradford at Selhurst Park.
His senior breakthrough arrived in the UEFA Conference League against KuPS, where, aged 16 years and 192 days, he became both Palace’s youngest-ever player in the competition and the youngest Englishman to feature in it, surpassing Chelsea’s Reggie Walsh by two days. He was later awarded 72.8% of the Player of the Match vote for his performance.
Shortly afterwards, he made his Premier League debut away at Leeds, coming off the bench aged 16 years and 194 days to become Palace’s youngest-ever Premier League player, surpassing David Ozoh’s previous record, who was 17 years and 260 days when he featured against Newcastle United in January 2023.
Drakes-Thomas continued to feature around the first team, making the bench for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal, as well as Premier League fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham as well as playing 45 minutes in the third round FA Cup tie with Macclesfield.
At Academy level, he has featured across both Under-18s and Under-21s, primarily as an attacking wing-back, with his pace and ability to isolate defenders in 1v1 situations making him a constant attacking outlet.
Under-21s manager Darren Powell said after the Real Sociedad International Cup last eight defeat: “Joel Drakes-Thomas was a real threat – isolating the full-back, getting 1v1s, delivering balls into the box, similar to what we saw against Wolves.”
Returning from injury in February, he quickly re-established himself as a key figure in decisive fixtures, playing important roles in wins over Tottenham in the Premier League Cup and Aston Villa in the FA Youth Cup.
He featured in both the FA Youth Cup semi-final and the Premier League Cup Final against Manchester United, where he confidently converted his penalty in the shootout in the latter. He also contributed during the closing stages of the U18 Premier League South campaign.