Romain Esse

Romain Esse
Personal information
Full name Romain Joy Kouakou Esse[1]
Date of birth (2005-05-13) 13 May 2005
Place of birth Lambeth, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Crystal Palace
Number 21
Youth career
2014–2022 Millwall
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2025 Millwall 61 (6)
2025– Crystal Palace 11 (1)
2026 → Coventry City (loan) 17 (2)
International career‡
2023 England U18 6 (1)
2023 England U19 8 (1)
2024– England U20 9 (1)
2025– England U21 3 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:59, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:05, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Romain Joy Kouakou Esse (born 13 May 2005) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Premier League club Crystal Palace.

Club career

Millwall

Esse is a youth product of Millwall, and impressed in his first senior appearance in a cameo in a friendly against Brøndby in November 2022.[3] He made his professional debut with Millwall as a late substitute in a 2–0 EFL Championship win over Watford on 26 December 2022.[4] On 19 January 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club and was promoted to their senior team for the rest of the season.[5]

On 5 August 2023, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–0 win against Middlesbrough, from an assist by Aidomo Emakhu.[6]

Crystal Palace

On 18 January 2025, Esse joined local rivals Crystal Palace signing a five-and-a-half year contract.[7] The fee was undisclosed, but was reported to be £12 million, potentially rising to £14.5 million with add-ons.[8] Esse scored against Brentford in a 2–1 loss for Crystal Palace in the Premier League on 26 January with his first touch for the club after coming on as a late substititute.[9]

Coventry City (loan)

On 7 January 2026, Esse joined Championship leaders Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season.[10]

International career

On 22 March 2023, Esse made his England U18 debut during a 2–1 win over Croatia in Medulin.[11]

On 6 September 2023, Esse made his England U19 debut during a 1–0 defeat to Germany in Oliva.[12]

On 29 August 2025, Esse was called up to the England under-21s.[13] He made his debut as a substitute during a 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win away to Kazakhstan on 8 September 2025.[14]

Personal life

Born in England, Esse is of Ivorian descent. He attended St Thomas the Apostle College for five years, where he featured in a number of school matches and played an important role in their success.[15]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Millwall 2022–23[16] Championship 1201000——130
2023–24[17] Championship 2521010——272
2024–25[18] Championship 2440021——265
Total 6162031——667
Crystal Palace 2024–25[19] Premier League 7120———91
2025–26[20] Premier League 40—103[a]00080
Total 11120103000171
Coventry City (loan) 2025–26[20] Championship 17210———182
Career total 8995041300010110
  1. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

Crystal Palace

Coventry City

References

  1. ↑ "Club list of registered players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 13. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "Romain Esse Profile & Stats". Premier League. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Jones, Alex (26 November 2022). "Millwall youngster impresses in first appearance for Millwall's first team". Southwark News. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. ↑ Cawley, Richard (30 December 2022). "Millwall prospect set to stay in first-team fold for remainder of the season". South London Press. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Cawley, Richard (19 January 2023). "Exclusive: Millwall winger Romain Esse signs long-term professional contract". South London Press. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Romain Esse's winner seals opening day win for Millwall". Millwall FC. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Palace sign Romain Esse from Millwall". Crystal Palace F.C. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Crystal Palace: Millwall winger Romain Esse signs on deal until 2030". BBC Sport. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1-2 Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade earn Bees victory in Thomas Frank's 300th game". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Romain Esse joins Coventry City on loan from Crystal Palace". www.ccfc.co.uk. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  11. ↑ Hides, Leanne (22 March 2023). "Report: Croatia 1-2 England MU18s". England Football. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Report: England MU19s 0-1 Germany". England Football. 6 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Association, The Football. "England MU21s squad named for Kazakhstan trip". www.englandfootball.com.
  14. ↑ "Report: Kazakhstan 0-2 England MU21s". Englandfootball.com. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  15. ↑ Gbaguidi, Jacques (22 January 2023). "Millwall : Romain Esse signe un nouveau contrat" (in French). Africa Foot United. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  18. ↑ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Games played by Romain Esse in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Games played by Romain Esse in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  21. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1–0 Manchester City: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  22. ↑ "FA Cup holders Crystal Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to win an enthralling Community Shield at Wembley". BBC Sport. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1–0 Rayo Vallecano". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  24. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cn9qppjg5yxt
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