An academy graduate of hometown club Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka made his senior debut in 2018, and quickly rose to prominence, being named the club's Player of the Year in his only full season. In 2019, he moved to Manchester United for £50 million, winning an EFL Cup and FA Cup with the club before departing for West Ham in 2024.
He is of Congolese descent and made one appearance for DR Congo under-20s in 2015. He has gone on to represent the country of his birth, England, at under-20 and under-21 levels.
Early life
Wan-Bissaka was born in Croydon, Greater London[4] and grew up in New Addington, Croydon, where he attended Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School.[5]
Wan-Bissaka was a member of the Crystal Palace academy from the age of 11,[6] where he started out as a winger.[5] He signed a professional contract with the club in December 2016.[7]
On the 2017 pre-season tour, Wan-Bissaka began to feature with the Palace first team under new manager Frank de Boer, playing in a number of friendlies. The Dutchman played a formation with wing-backs, and this new role emphasised Wan-Bissaka's defensive capabilities, eventually leading to him moving from a winger to a full-back.[8] However, he saw chances limited in the first half of the season as De Boer showed a preference to play Timothy Fosu-Mensah or Martin Kelly at right-back, then new manager Roy Hodgson favoured Joel Ward. He was an unused substitute a few times under the new manager, while also starring for the Eagles U23 side.[9][10][11]
On 25 February 2018, Wan-Bissaka made his first-team debut for Crystal Palace, in the midst of an injury crisis, in a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park which resulted in a 1–0 defeat.[5][12][13] He played all but two minutes of the four Palace matches in March, and won the club's Player of the Month award with 65% of the supporters' votes.[14]
On 20 August 2018, Wan-Bissaka was sent off in a 2–0 loss to Liverpool for denying Mohamed Salah a clear goalscoring opportunity.[15] He was named the club's Player of the Month for August, September, October and March.[16] On 7 April 2019, he extended his contract with the club until 2022.[7] Later that month, he was named Crystal Palace Player of the Year for his displays throughout the season.[17]
Manchester United
On 29 June 2019, Wan-Bissaka signed a five-year contract with fellow Premier League club Manchester United. Crystal Palace would receive an initial fee of £45 million, with another £5 million due in potential bonuses.[18] Upon signing for Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka became the sixth-most expensive defender of all time and the most expensive English player who was uncapped by the national side at the time of transfer.[19][20]
He made his debut for the club on 11 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–0 league victory over Chelsea.[21] At the end of his first season at Manchester United, he made the highest number of tackles in the 2019–20 Premier League season.[22] On 17 October 2020, as United won 4–1 at Newcastle United, he scored the first goal of his professional career.[23] On 2 February 2021, he scored the opening goal in United's Premier League record-equalling 9–0 win over Southampton.[24]
Wan-Bissaka missed a significant part of the first half of the 2022–23 season due to illnesses or injuries,[25][26] with Diogo Dalot starting at right-back in the majority of United's games.[27][28] He returned to the pitch after the World Cup break in impressive form, with manager Erik ten Hag praising his improvements.[28][29]
West Ham United
On 13 August 2024, West Ham United announced the signing of Wan-Bissaka on a seven-year contract for a reported fee of £15 million.[30][31] On 25 November, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 victory over Newcastle United at St James' Park.[32]
International career
Wan-Bissaka was born in England and is of Congolese descent.[33] Wan-Bissaka made a single appearance for DR Congo U20s in an 8–0 friendly loss to the England U17s on 7 October 2015.[34] However, he remained eligible to represent the country of his birth and, after impressing for Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka was called up to the England under-20 squad in March 2018.[35] He was sent off during his debut against Poland, although England still won 1–0.[36]
Wan-Bissaka was called up to the England U21 squad for the first time in September 2018 and made his debut for them on 6 September, playing 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw with the Netherlands at Carrow Road.[37] On 27 May 2019, Wan-Bissaka was included in England's 23-man squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[38] He made one appearance in the tournament, a 2–1 loss against France, in which he scored an own goal.[39]
Though in May 2019 he asserted his intention to pursue an international career with England, stating "the aim is England. I am happy playing with England and representing England, so that is what I am going to continue doing", he has since expressed interest in representing his ancestral DR Congo at senior level.[42] Media speculation has also supported the claim of his potential nationality switch, even though he has not done so by 2024.[43][44]
Style of play
Wan-Bissaka is primarily a defensively minded right-back, known for his pace, slide tackling and ability in one-on-one defensive duels.[45][46] He was described as the "best one-on-one defender for a full-back in the world" by Jamie Carragher in 2020.[47] In the 2019–20 Premier League season Wan-Bissaka made the joint-highest number of tackles, level with Wilfred Ndidi on 129.[48]
Personal life
In December 2021, Wan-Bissaka was given a six-month driving ban and a £31,500 fine by Leeds Magistrates Court for driving while disqualified and uninsured, and for not giving driver details about two speeding offences. His lawyers said that he was unaware of his offending, as he had not registered his new address with the DVLA.[49]
Career statistics
As of match played 29 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
