Academy Players and their International Careers

Whilst the Crystal Palace Academy are known for developing young players, how successful do these players go onto become? This blog will look at both past and present academy players and the international recognition they have received from their respective national country which they represent.

Past academy players:

Kenny Sansom – England (86 caps, 1 goal)

Kenny Sansom playing for England

The left-back made his international debut at the age of 21 before going on to have a long and successful career for England where he is still seen as one of the country’s best ever full-backs. He made his debut whilst playing for Crystal Palace and the international appearances continued after he made a then big money move to Arsenal, where he played in two World Cups and one European Championship.

Gareth Southgate – England (57 caps, 2 goals)

Gareth Southgate on International duty

Southgate was another academy product to make his England debut whilst playing for Crystal Palace and the central defender went on to play over fifty games for his country. These appearances included playing at one European Championship and one World Cup, as well as being in the squad for a second World Cup. He also captained his national side once in his successful career.

Clinton Morrison – Republic of Ireland (36 caps, 9 goals)

Republic of Ireland's Clinton Morrison

Academy product Clinton Morrison made his debut for Republic of Ireland when playing for Crystal Palace before leaving for Birmingham. He scored on his debut and scored a total of nine goals for the international side. Games in both European Championship and World Cup qualifiers were to follow as well as travelling to the 2002 World Cup, without making an appearance.

Current academy players:

Sean Scannell – Republic of Ireland Under 21

Sean Scannell

Since making his debut at the age of 17 for Crystal Palace, Sean Scannell has gone on to represent Republic of Ireland at international level at Under 17, 18 and 19 as well as most recently Under 21. This progression has seen him make nine appearances for the Under 21’s so far at the same time as nearing 100 appearances for his club.

Wilfried Zaha – England Under 19

Wilfried Zaha (right) playing for England

Despite only making his Crystal Palace debut in March 2010, Wilfried Zaha has already gained a reputation of being one of the hottest prospects in England for the future. This has seen him recognised at international level by representing the England Under 19 side and making over 35 appearances for Palace in his short career to date.

John Williams – Wales Under 21 and Ryan Inniss – England Under 16

Williams (left) and Inniss (right) represnting their nations

Williams and Inniss are two of Crystal Palace’s newest prospects to develop through their academy and despite neither having played for the first team so far, they have gained international recognition. John Williams, at the age of just 17, has impressed for the academy and reserve teams which has led to him playing well above his age group for the Wales Under 21 side. Also, Ryan Inniss at the age of just 15, has already signed a professional contract with Crystal Palace and has represented England at Under 16 level.

These examples help to show the opportunities which both past and present academy products have gained playing at international level. This helps to show that playing at Crystal Palace can still see young players being monitored and recognised by their country’s and players do not have to be playing for larger teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal for this to happen. With the help, advice and support offered by the management team at Palace, they can form the basis of a long and successful career for young players both domestically and internationally.