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Marc Guéhi’s whirlwind 12 months in the FA Cup: captaining Crystal Palace to glory at Wembley last season, experiencing the competition’s greatest shock via the holders’ third-round elimination at sixth-tier Macclesfield and, on Saturday, aiming to claim the trophy again when Manchester City face Chelsea.
In a story-rich competition the defender’s is one of the more intriguing, particularly as Palace’s triumph was their first trophy and City, who he joined nine days after the Macclesfield reverse, were their scalps in the final, beaten 1-0 by Eberechi Eze’s 16th-minute strike.
He says: “I feel like my football life is crazy. There’s no consistency to it. It’s very unpredictable. And it’s fun, interesting. I’m glad to be given the opportunity to play in such a prestigious final again. And for this club, I know how much it means to them to win trophies.”
On 10 January, Palace were dumped out 2-1 by Macclesfield. Afterwards, despite bitter disappointment, Guéhi went to the supporters who had journeyed from south London to Cheshire for the tie.
The 25-year-old says: “I felt like I owed the fans for their voices to be heard because they’re such a big part of football. In that moment, it was low for them, but that’s just another part of life.”
Guéhi moved to City for a bargain £20m, Pep Guardiola strengthening his squad with one of England’s first-choice centre-backs. There were quips from his new colleagues regarding Palace’s Cup win. “I’m not going to share what they were, but yeah, there were a couple,” he says.
Fast forward to 4 May, and Guéhi’s mood was far darker at Hill Dickinson Stadium. With City beating Everton 1-0 after 68 minutes, Guéhi’s intended backpass for Gianluigi Donnarumma went to Thierno Barry, who equalised.
This presaged a 15-minute collapse that featured Everton moving 3-1 ahead. By the end, City had salvaged a 3-3 draw, but it was firmly advantage Arsenal in the title race. If Arsenal become champions Guéhi will have to steel himself for endless repeats of his mistake being billed (however unfairly) as the moment that turned the championship.
Regarding the error, Guéhi is grateful for Guardiola’s and his teammates’ support. He says: “It’s inevitable that someone’s going to make a mistake. So, I think having that togetherness manifesting is really important in any situation – it’s a really good trait of the group. You get to see people’s real characters and relationships when times are most difficult.”
Guéhi’s character, alongside his stellar talent, has driven his rise, after rejection at Chelsea. After progressing through the west London club’s ranks, Guéhi made two League Cup starts in the autumn of 2019 – against Grimsby and Manchester United – before being loaned to Swansea in January 2020 and the following season. An £18m transfer to Palace followed in July 2021.
Guéhi is asked whether the Cup final is a chance to show Chelsea they were wrong about him. He says: “That’s not my mentality. I completely understand people that have that thought process but I’ve got nothing but gratitude towards Chelsea. Going there from such a young age, I am super grateful to the coaches, and the players I played with. And, to have been given the opportunity to play for the club, a couple of times.”
Guéhi was ineligible for City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal because he had played for Palace in the competition, a rule that no longer applies in the FA Cup. Witnessing the triumph gave him a greater understanding of the culture Guardiola has created.
He says: “I wouldn’t say it made me hungrier – the hunger is always there. It just makes me appreciate the art of winning a bit more, understanding what it really takes to maintain that level and keep winning and finding new ways to win. It was great to see what the guys were able to achieve against such a formidable opponent in Arsenal. When you’re not in those moments often, it’s hard to understand. So, taking a back seat was probably the best thing for me.”
Guardiola may depart in the summer and the captain, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones are leaving. Guéhi, in his modest way, is reluctant to say whether he will become one of the leaders.
He says: “You’d have to ask the other guys. It’s always important to, I’d say, have that understanding of how other people see you as well, which then helps you step into different roles.”
He is far surer of a bright future for City owing to the wave of players who have joined or emerged (in Nico O’Reilly’s case) since January 2025, the others being Donnarumma, Omar Marmoush, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico González, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Aït-Nouri.
He says: “There’s so much we can all improve on. We’re all, I think, trying to learn from the older guys, from the guys that have been there and done it again and again. Whether we go on and do it, it’s up to us. We’ve got to make that decision every day we come into training.”
