Background and career
Ismaïla Sarr (born 25 February 1998) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Senegal national team.
Sarr was a youth academy graduate of Senegalese club Génération Foot, and made his senior debut for Ligue 1 club Metz in 2016. He subsequently spent two seasons at Rennes, winning the Coupe de France in 2019 and scoring the winning penalty in the final, before moving to Premier League club Watford, where he was named Player of the Season in 2021. He departed in 2023 and spent a season back in France with Marseille, before returning to England with Crystal Palace, where he won the FA Cup in 2025, his first season. In 2026, he was top goalscorer and named best player as Palace won the UEFA Conference League.
Sarr made his senior debut for Senegal in 2016, and went on to represent his side at the FIFA World Cup in 2018, 2022 and 2026, as well as at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, winning the 2021 tournament.
