Marc Guéhi: Manchester City and England Centre-Back, From Palace Captain to World Cup

Marc Guéhi has packed a lot into a short time. In little more than a year and a half he captained Crystal Palace to the first major trophy in the club’s history, moved to Manchester City, won the FA Cup again and started for England at a World Cup that ended with a bronze medal. His name was trending in Ghana this week, a country that saw him up close when England played the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup, after he spoke to reporters about the mood inside the City squad following a 3-0 win over Liverpool.

Here is a sourced profile of the defender: where he started, how his career developed, and what he has said recently.

Quick facts

• Full name: Addji Keaninkin Marc-Israel Guéhi
• Born: 13 July 2000, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
• Nationality: English (represents England); born in Ivory Coast
• Position: Centre-back
• Current club: Manchester City, signed 19 January 2026
• Previous clubs: Chelsea (youth and first team); Swansea City (loan, 2020-21); Crystal Palace (2021-2026)
• England senior debut: 26 March 2022, against Switzerland
• Major honours: FA Cup 2025 (Crystal Palace) and 2026 (Manchester City); FA Community Shield 2025; FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017; Euro 2024 runner-up; 2026 World Cup third place

From Abidjan to south London

Guéhi was born in Abidjan and moved with his family to Lewisham, in south-east London, when he was one year old. He started playing in the youth system at Cray Wanderers, a non-League club, at the age of six. A scout who also worked for Chelsea spotted him there, and after two years he moved into Chelsea’s academy.

He progressed through the age groups at Chelsea and was part of the under-18 side that won a treble in 2017 and a quadruple the following season, when they also reached the final of the UEFA Youth League. He signed his first professional contract in September 2017.

A world champion at 17

His international career began with a trophy. Guéhi captained England’s under-17 side at the 2017 European Under-17 Championship, where they lost the final to Spain on penalties. A few months later, at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, the two sides met again in the final. Guéhi scored England’s fourth goal in a 5-2 win, and England were world champions. He later played for the under-19s and was named captain of the under-21 side in 2021.

Swansea: learning the trade on loan

Chelsea’s first team was hard to break into. Guéhi made his senior debut in a 7-1 League Cup win over Grimsby Town in September 2019 but played only twice for the club. In January 2020 he joined Swansea City on loan, linking up with Steve Cooper, who had coached him in the U-17 World Cup win.

The loan was extended for the 2020-21 season, and it was the making of him. He became one of Swansea’s most-used players, the team kept 17 league clean sheets with him in the side, and they reached the Championship play-off final, losing 2-0 to Brentford.

Crystal Palace and a historic captaincy

In July 2021 Crystal Palace signed him from Chelsea for a reported £18 million, one of the biggest fees the club had paid at the time. He scored his first senior goal in a 3-3 draw with Burnley in November 2021, formed a strong partnership with Joachim Andersen, and started almost every game the following season. A knee injury cost him several months of the 2023-24 campaign.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season he was named club captain. That year he scored three Premier League goals and led the team to the FA Cup final at Wembley on 17 May 2025, where Palace beat Manchester City 1-0 to win their first major trophy. In August 2025 he captained them again in the Community Shield and lifted that too, after a penalty shootout win over Liverpool.

The summer of 2025 ended dramatically. On transfer deadline day, Liverpool agreed a fee with Palace, and Guéhi completed a medical, but the deal collapsed minutes before the deadline because Palace could not sign a replacement in time. He stayed for half a season more, and his final game for Palace was an FA Cup defeat to Macclesfield in January 2026.

Manchester City and a second FA Cup

On 19 January 2026, Manchester City completed his signing for a reported £20 million. He kept a clean sheet on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers five days later, scored his first goal for the club in the FA Cup against Salford City, and scored his first Premier League goal for City against his old club Chelsea in April.

On 16 May 2026 he played the whole FA Cup final as City won the trophy. That made him only the fourth player in the competition’s history to win the FA Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs.

England: Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup

Gareth Southgate gave Guéhi his England debut in March 2022, against Switzerland at Wembley. His breakthrough tournament was Euro 2024 in Germany. He played every minute of the group stage alongside John Stones, and in the last-16 match against Slovakia he flicked on the throw-in that led to Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time equaliser. England reached the final, losing to Spain.

He scored his first England goal in a 5-0 win over Serbia in September 2025 and captained the side for the first time in a friendly against Japan in March 2026. At the 2026 World Cup he came on as a substitute in the opening match against Croatia, then started against Ghana and Panama, keeping clean sheets in both. He kept his place for the knockout rounds as England beat DR Congo, Mexico and Norway to reach the semi-finals, and they finished third.

For Ghanaian readers, the World Cup group match is the most likely point of contact. Guéhi started that game in central defence with Ezri Konsa, and England kept a clean sheet. It was one of only two group games he started, and it helped him hold his place for the rest of the tournament.

Why he is in the news this week

Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League, with Liverpool down to ten men. In comments reported by LiveScore and the Hayters agency, Guéhi talked about how the squad had reacted after an independent commission found that the club had breached Premier League financial rules. City are appealing that verdict.

“The club notified everyone straight away so we were pretty calm,” he said. “There were a lot of relaxed faces because we have a lot of trust and belief in the club.” He added that he wanted to “be part of the future success” at City. We report his comments only; this profile does not take a view on the commission’s findings or the appeal.

Style and reputation

He is not especially tall for a centre-back, but coaches and pundits have described him as strong, well positioned and very calm. During Euro 2024, former England players working as pundits called him “calm and composed” and England’s “standout performer”. He has been described in profiles as humble and low maintenance.

Career timeline

• 2001: Moves from Abidjan to Lewisham, London, aged one.
• 2017: First professional contract at Chelsea; U-17 World Cup winner with England.
• 2019: Chelsea first-team debut against Grimsby Town.
• 2020-21: Loans at Swansea City; Championship play-off final.
• 2021: Joins Crystal Palace; named England U-21 captain.
• 2022: Senior England debut against Switzerland.
• 2024: Palace captain; Euro 2024 runner-up.
• 2025: FA Cup and Community Shield winner with Palace; first England goal.
• 2026: Joins Manchester City; second FA Cup; World Cup third place.

What we could not verify

• The exact transfer fees, which were reported but not officially confirmed by the clubs.
• His current contract length and salary at Manchester City.
• The exact date of the 3-0 win over Liverpool in our sources, which we left out rather than guess.
• The outcome of City’s appeal, which had not been decided when we wrote this.
• Private family details, which we leave out on purpose.

Sources

• LiveScore (Hayters)
• Goal.com
• Manchester City FC
• The FA
• Wikipedia