Marc Guéhi continues whirlwind FA Cup journey against club where it all began

Marc Guéhi helped Crystal Palace to their first trophy with a 1-0 win against Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final. Photograph: Getty Images/Sportsphoto/Allstar

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.

Macclesfield pulled off their momentous upset over Crystal Palace days before Marc Guéhi (on his knees) departed to Manchester City. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters

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.”